Kelsey is back on the podcast for a fun heart-to-heart with Jill Winger of The Prairie Homestead, one of the foremost homesteading websites since 2010. Jill is a powerhouse in the homesteading community, sharing her love of living off the land with all her readers and listeners. Her practical and authentic teaching style and storytelling have won the hearts of hundreds of thousands of homesteaders across social media and through the top-ranked Old Fashioned on Purpose podcast and the best-selling Prairie Homestead Cookbook.
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 Installing an automatic heated livestock watering system in our barn for our farm and homestead has been one of the biggest game-changers in reducing labor effort, maintaining cleanliness, and, most importantly, combating Old Man Winter’s relentless effort to freeze everything in sight through our cold Wisconsin months. In this post, we will cover absolutely everything you need to know on how to build and install your own automatic heated livestock watering system for your barn - including plumbing supplies, heating elements, and step-by-step instructions for installing the automatic watering system.
The growing season went by in a flash this year! I am sure I can chalk it up to doing two farmers markets, taking on tons of homesteading projects, and adopting four baby goats plus a puppy. What a summer it has been on Green Willow Homestead. I’m so excited to share with you our Summer Update Video and go into a bit more detail on how we did things during the warmer months on the farm - plus a BIG surprise!
What a wonderful feeling to finally have spring upon us at Green Willow Homestead! We had a few “Fool’s Springs” in Shell Lake, WI - but I’ve gotten better at containing my verdant excitement and not jumping the gun. In this first video blog, I share with you what’s happening at Green Willow Homestead for the 2021 season - what we’re planting on the farm, where and how we’re selling our produce, and a few long term goals for the future.
 Time to officially let the cat out of the bag - we are moving! We are packing up our sweet little farm and heading five hours north to the Burnett County, Wisconsin area. In this post, I will share with you our reasons for moving the farm, what the new farm is like, what our new farm plans are, and how we feel taking this enormous step.
Figuring out how to use your existing property, or a brand new piece of land, and turn it into a homestead can be a daunting task. In this post, I’m going to share with you how we planned out our homestead on five acres over the course of five years. It’s so fun to see where we started when we first purchased our land, and then five years later, how everything turned out.
We’ll go over:
Welcome back to Week 3 on how to build food security for your family in less than 30 days. In Week 3 of our Food Security Plan, I am going to teach you (click to jump!):
If you just found this series, be sure to head back to Week 1 so you can learn how this Food Security series works and get started on the right foot! I want you to remember that you are completely capable of starting something new (like chicken keeping). Sure, you're probably going to make some mistakes in the process as you learn but the payoff is worth it. Doing these things with a loved one or your kids will bring you some fun and purpose during this uncertain time. Let’s dive into Week 3! 
After taking the time to share what we learned in 2018, I figured we should also share what we have planned for 2019 at Green Willow Homestead, from farming to living sustainably. I’m a firm believer in setting big goals every year (like publishing a book!!). So without further ado, here’s what we have up our sleeves for the next year…
 Our little farm stand is finally open for business and I could not be prouder. I’ve dreamt of creating a space for my Franklin neighbors to have access to local organic food and goods since we moved here in 2015. Franklin, WI has a population over 36,000, yet we don’t have a local farmers market to call our own. Putting together this farm stand has been my way of filling that void. Of course, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was our stand! So today I wanted to show you all the work we put into it to make it a reality. Get ready for some serious before and after shots!
 It’s official. My boyfriend and I are now the proud owners of five beautiful acres in lovely southeastern Wisconsin. With one big willow tree, a confused little rambler, and plenty of outbuildings, we are in paradise! With thoughts of garden plots and chicken coops dancing around in my head for the last six years, it’s surreal to finally be standing at the beginning of my mini homesteading journey. |
Meet Kelsey,Thanks for stopping by Green Willow Homestead! From chicken rearing to composting, we've got our hands full and we love sharing what we've learned along the way. Follow along as we turn the 80 acres we call home into a farm that serves its community and a homestead that nourishes us throughout the seasons. 
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