The Homestead Education Podcast

Everyone deserves an agricultural education — to understand food, land, and responsibility at a scale that fits real life.

Hosted by Kody Hanner, agricultural educator, homeschool mom of six, and lifelong rural advocate, The Homestead Education Podcast explores how accessible, small-scale agricultural education can build capable people, strengthen families, and create resilient local food systems.

Drawing from generations of rural knowledge, educated in animal science, and years of teaching families outside traditional systems, Kody breaks down complex food and education topics into practical, usable skills for homes, classrooms, and communities.

Each week, you’ll hear honest conversations about food systems, small-scale agriculture, homeschooling, and real-world education — designed for families, educators, and anyone who believes we shouldn’t outsource our lives.

Whether you live on acreage, in town, or somewhere in between, this podcast will help you understand where your food comes from, why it matters, and how practical agricultural knowledge can create meaningful change.

Episodes

Sep 1, 2023

44 min

How can we teach our kids to understand how money works in real life before real consequences happen? Join us today as we talk with one of my favorite conference friends, Charla McKinley of Beyond Personal Finance! Charla explains how she created a fun and interactive homeschool finance curriculum with the goal of training kids to make informed decisions about realistic careers that fund the housing and expenses that form the future lifestyle they envision. 
 
Charla McKinley graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in Finance. She went on to become a Certified Public Accountant with over 25 years experience in both corporate and private sectors. While homeschooling her two children, Charla was inspired to write an interactive personal finance curriculum that opens the student's eyes to the high costs of being an adult. After retiring from homeschooling, Charla continues to teach teens in Raleigh, NC and across the country using her Beyond Personal Finance curriculum.
 
Charla’s passion is teaching teens that their choices matter. She is a firm believer that in order to prepare teens for the road ahead they must be given the opportunity to practice making good (and not so good) choices using real dollars before they get out into the world and have real regrets."You've got to raise the kid that you have. You've got to notice notice their problems and walk them through it, and you... don't necessarily save them from the trouble. Help them navigate through the trouble." - Charla McKinley
Find Charla: 
 
Email: charla@beyondpersonalfinanceclass.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beyondpersonalfinance
Website: https://bpfclass.com/ 
Kody's Links:
Website: www.thehomesteadeducation.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/homestead_education
Curriculum: www.homesteadsciencecurriculum.com
Homestead Business: https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/homesteading/
Pre-Order "Self-Sufficient Children": https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/product/sufficient-children/
Buying Vacant Land: https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/vacant-land/
Get on the waitlist for Homestead History: https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/homestead-history/

Aug 29, 2023

41 min

If you’ve ever gone shopping for vacant land, you know how difficult it can be to find out which amenities are available on the property. A reliable water source and electricity are essentials for new and experienced homesteaders. And realtors don’t always have the deets. 
 
In this podcast episode, we talk to my local friends Steven and Jessalyn Willis from American Water Locators to discuss their journey from coffee roasting to water locating and their involvement in mission work in Guatemala. They are a family of 5, and they've been running a water-locating business since 2016. They use seismo-electric equipment to locate the depth, yield, and thickness of an aquifer, helping to save you from a dry well and take the guesswork out of getting the most available water on your property. They explain how their top-of-the-line technology helps locate water underground using artificial seismic events and electrical signals. It’s the only one that actually images water and provides peace of mind for homesteaders in the market for vacant land. 
 
Join us as we nerd out on water location and hear more about Steven and Jessalyn’s journey from a hand-to-mouth existence to becoming business owners and philanthropists. I can’t wait for you to hear their story! 
 
See the links below to check out their coffee roasting company, Norse Roots Roasters, and American Water Locators for all your water location needs!
“If we're not growing, then we're just getting stagnant. I don't think we're on this Earth to be stagnant… I think we're here to enjoy it, but … with the little time we're given we should make the biggest impact that we can with as many people as we can and make as many relationships as possible.” - Steven Willis, American Water LocatorsFind Steven and Jessalyn:Email: steve.waterlocate@gmail.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063698843886&sk=about Website:  www.americanwaterlocators.comCoffee: https://norse-roots-roasters.square.site/Kody's Links:
Website: www.thehomesteadeducation.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/homestead_education
Curriculum: www.homesteadsciencecurriculum.com
Homestead Business: https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/homesteading/
Pre-Order "Self-Sufficient Children": https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/product/sufficient-children/
Buying Vacant Land: https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/vacant-land/
Get on the waitlist for Homestead History: https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/homestead-history/ 
 
 

Aug 25, 2023

47 min

How does a small, family-owned dairy farm survive over a hundred years and continue to grow in today’s shaky economy and flawed agricultural system—while maintaining a self-sufficient mindset? 
 
Join me as I talk to Derrick Josi of TDF Honest Farming or, as I originally knew him, the Tillamook Dairy Farmer! Derrick Josi is steadfast in his quest to share farming through the community he’s established online behind the handle TDF Honest Farming. Born into a lineage of dairy farmers in the Pacific Northwest, he farms the same land as his great-grandfather, Alfred, who came to the United States from Switzerland as an indentured servant in 1912. A lot has changed in the 105 years they've been dairying in Tillamook, and Derrick is opening up modern Dairy to the world on a daily basis. In this episode, we talk about how farming practices are changing, the pros and cons of subsidies, state laws, restrictions, price floors, and school vouchers for homeschoolers and private schoolers. 
 
And, are cows really causing global warming? Hear Derrick weigh in with a simple explanation of the Biogenic Carbon Cycle. 
 
Derrick tells what it’s like to share the highs and lows of dairy farming with his 1 million+ Facebook followers and 100,000 Instagram followers plus a behind-the-scenes of life on the farm—the good, the bad, and the ugly—just for my listeners.  
 
Want more tips for self-sufficient farming and homesteading in 2023 and beyond? Subscribe to The Homestead Education podcast today! “Even at 40 years old, like myself, you need to be growing as a person, learning new things …  I want to still be learning and doing things well into my retirement because I am a firm believer that if you're not learning and growing, you're going the other way.” - Derrick Josi
 
Other Resources: 
Book: An Industry Worth Fighting For by Derrick Josi and Steve Olivas https://www.amazon.com/Industry-Worth-Fighting-Derrick-Josi/dp/1956577009
 
Find Derrick: Website: https://tdfhonestfarming.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tdf_honest_farming/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TDFHonestFarming
 
Kody's Links:
Website: www.thehomesteadeducation.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/homestead_education
Curriculum: www.homesteadsciencecurriculum.com
Homestead Business: https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/homesteading/
Pre-Order "Self-Sufficient Children": https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/product/sufficient-children/
Buying Vacant Land: https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/vacant-land/
Get on the waitlist for Homestead History: https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/homestead-history/ 

Aug 22, 2023

56 min

Would you give up city life and veganism to heal your chronic health issues? The modern homesteading movement has attracted suburban men and women with a thirst for knowledge, self-sufficiency, and holistic health, who are ready to reject modern societal norms in favor of freedom. We’re smack dab in the middle of a learning revolution, and I’m here for it!
 
Join us as we chat with HannahJo of Prairie Mountain Homestead about leaving a whole-foods plant-based diet and suburban life to be a traditional wife living a homestead life. HannahJo of PrairieMountainHomestead is the creator of #backtoprairieliving. She's also a member of God’s army, the patriot party, a learner, defender, whole food creator and self-reliant seeker. You’re going to love hearing her story as she shares her journey toward healing chronic health issues and embracing homeschooling, homesteading, and a symbiotic relationship with animals as food and food producers. 
“The symbiotic relationship between husband and wife in a role that we love, and in our places that we love, I just love to talk that way because it invites a conversation in which, you know, putting on an apron is so controversial these days because we're oppressed. […]  I just love that I wear my apron because I choose to.“ -HannahJo, Prairie Mountain Homestead
Find HannahJo:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@prairiemountainhomestead Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prairiemountainhomestead/Website: https://www.prairiemountainhomestead.com/Kody's Links:Homestead Harvesters 2023 Conference: https://homesteadharvesters.com/Website: www.thehomesteadeducation.comInstagram: www.instagram.com/homestead_educationCurriculum: www.homesteadsciencecurriculum.comHomestead History Waitlist: https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/homestead-history/Homestead Business: https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/homesteading/Pre-Order "Self-Sufficient Children": https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/product/sufficient-children/Buying Vacant Land: https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/vacant-land/For more homesteading and homeschooling tips, subscribe to The Homestead Education today! 

Jul 21, 2023

19 min

Wow! This has been an amazing season with many interesting and intelligent guests helping us answer the questions we didn't know to ask. 
Tune in to this episode for an update on our crazy summer along with a HUGE announcement. 
Providing Fellowship for Homestead Women with Angela Miller: https://www.podbean.com/ep/pb-x85bv-13c0c56
Homestead Harvesters Community: www.homesteadharvesters.com
Homestead History Waitlist: https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/homestead-history/
Kody's Links
Website: www.thehomesteadeducation.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/homestead_education
Curriculum: www.homesteadsciencecurriculum.com
Homestead Business: https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/homesteading/
Pre-Order "Self-Sufficient Children": https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/product/sufficient-children/
Buying Vacant Land: https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/vacant-land/

Jul 11, 2023

50 min

Have you considered learning chemical-free tanning methods?
Colorado suburban homesteader Catie Wark shares her no-waste journey. One big part of her journey has been animal hyde tanning through the egg or tanning method. Follow Catie as The Western Wander Woman for ways to reduce waste as a homesteader.
Find Catie
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thewesternwanderwoman/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewesternwanderwoman/
Bulk Alum: https://amzn.to/3pPSoGd
Kody's Links:
Website: www.thehomesteadeducation.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/homestead_education
Curriculum: www.homesteadsciencecurriculum.com
Homestead Business: https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/homesteading/
Pre-Order "Self-Sufficient Children": https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/product/sufficient-children/
Buying Vacant Land: https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/vacant-land/

Jul 7, 2023

49 min

Have you ever wondered how your neurodivergent would handle life on the farm or homestead? Jo Mitchelhill gives insight on how kids react to and embrace a rural life. 
Find Jo Mitchelhill
Website: http://www.jomitchelhill.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/behaviourstrategiesandsupportforparents
Find Kody:
Website: www.thehomesteadeducation.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/homestead_education
Curriculum: www.homesteadsciencecurriculum.com
Homestead Business: https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/homesteading/
Pre-Order "Self-Sufficient Children": https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/product/sufficient-children/
Learn More About Homestead History: https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/homestead-history/

Jul 4, 2023

31 min

After an amazing weekend at the Modern Homesteading Convention, I am ready to share the emotional and inspirational side of our decision to homeschool. Homesteading has been our passion, but that has led to our embracing homeschooling in a way we never believed could be our path.
Links
Prairie & Pine Curriculum - https://bit.ly/prairieandpine
HLSDA - www.HLSDA.org
Free Guide to Start Homeschooling - https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/start-homeschool/
Find Kody
Website: www.thehomesteadeducation.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/homestead_education
Curriculum: www.homesteadsciencecurriculum.com
Homestead Business: https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/homesteading/
Pre-Order "Self-Sufficient Children": https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/product/sufficient-children/
Buying Vacant Land: https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/vacant-land/

Jun 27, 2023

53 min

Shearing sheep is an age-old practice that is still being done similarly today as it has been for hundreds of years (besides the invention of electric shears). Trevor Hollenback, a professionally trained sheep shearer, tells stories that paint a hilarious picture of life with sheep and shares uses for wool both commercially and on the homestead. 
If you're curious about getting started with sheep, this episode will help you with the basics as well as long-term planning for your sheep operation.
Find Trevor 
Website: trevor@hollenbackshearing.com
Find Kody
 
Kody's Links:
Website: www.thehomesteadeducation.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/homestead_education
Curriculum: www.homesteadsciencecurriculum.com
Homestead Business: https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/homesteading/
Pre-Order "Self-Sufficient Children": https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/product/sufficient-children/
Buying Vacant Land: https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/vacant-land/

Jun 23, 2023

47 min

Do you ever find a homeschool curriculum that lights a fire in your belly AND has your kids asking when they get to start it? I have found this curriculum with Prairie & Pine Curriculum created by Bethany Hutson and Kelsey Harms. Their middle and high school reading comprehension and writing curriculum allows kids to dig deep into real topics from inspiring non-fiction books like Into the Wild, I am Malala, and Folks, This Ain't Normal. Say hello to insightful and relevant conversations with your kids about relevant topics and books that interest you and them!
Check out Prairie & Pine Curriculum and get 20% off with code HOMESTEADEDUCATION20!
Find Prairie & Pine Homeschool
Website: https://bit.ly/prairieandpine
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prairieandpine.hc/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prairieandpinehc/
Find Kody:
Website: www.thehomesteadeducation.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/homestead_education
Curriculum: www.homesteadsciencecurriculum.com
Homestead Business: https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/homesteading/
Pre-Order "Self-Sufficient Children": https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/product/sufficient-children/
Learn More About Homestead History: https://www.thehomesteadeducation.com/homestead-history/
 

Kody Hanner

Homestead Educator

When I graduated from college I know that I wanted to continue to teach people about agriculture and our food systems. When I began down the homeschool and homestead path, it only made sense to focus on teaching our next generation about the joys of homesteading. 

My focus will be on not only how to homestead and homestead, but the mindset and personal growth that will help you on this amazing journey we are taking!

Keep growing!

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