Connecting Hoosier homesteaders
Our Mission Statement:
Homesteaders of Indiana is a grassroots volunteer-run organization to help support community, connections, and education.
Meet Our Team:
Our administration team is composed of people from all walks of life, with a diverse skill set to bring to the table. The team meets regularly to brainstorm, set goals, and discuss how to make HOI an impactful resource in communities all across Indiana.
Paul from @17chickensandcounting started Homesteaders of Indiana several years ago as a way to help better connect and unify Indiana homesteaders. While he will acknowledge he started it, he insists this would not have succeeded without an amazing team of admins helping out. Paul and his wife, Amanda, live in New Palestine, IN, along with their newborn son, Merrick, two dogs, four cats, a dozen or so quail, five ducks and 40 some chickens, on a quarter acre homestead. He would consider himself an urban/suburban homesteader. He has always enjoyed spending time outside and tinkering/building things. Those passions lined up perfectly with becoming an urban homesteader when he and his wife purchased their home in 2016. While he has become known as “the chicken guy” on Instagram, he is also an avid gardener. He is able to grow enough produce on his property to preserve enough food to last them through the winter. Outside of “homesteading” Paul would consider himself a movie buff, he loves listening to music and attending concerts and enjoys cleaning and organizing as a “stress relief”. He and his wife also do foster care.
Brooke, from @shortiesfunnyfarm, lives in Pendleton, IN on a five-acre homestead. She has four children ranging from 24 to 10. They used to be the shorties on the farm but have since outgrown the original name. Now the mini-ponies and Holland Lops get to be the new shorties. Brooke has been married for over 20 years to the most patient person on this earth, who is very supportive of the homestead. She is a nurse practitioner and works full time off farm running a treatment program for pregnant women with substance use disorders. Brooke has been homesteading, to various levels, for over 20 years. At this time, she gardens, keeps chickens, and has a genius livestock guardian dog.
Judi @westonfamilyfarm lives in north Zionsville, Indiana on five acres with a 100-year-old barn and silo, beautiful, large trees, and two gardens. The Westons raise American Lavender Ice and Blue geese and Black-winged Bronze turkeys for preservation, Indian Peafowl for fun, and a variety of chickens for eggs. Judi started the North Indy Farm Crawl in 2021 and it has become an annual event each September. When she isn’t caring for her six children and husband of 26 years you can find her walking Nova, her Bernese Mountain dog, supporting local businesses, and reading memoirs.
Megan from @peacefulpoultryfarms lives in Anderson, IN on a 5 acre homestead. She has a husband Matt, 5 dogs, 1 miniature pig (Petunia), and 4 cats! She raises French and American Alpine goats for dairy, Santa Gertrudis cows for beef and show, different types of poultry for meat, 4 different poultry species for eggs, and always a 100% heirloom variety garden every growing season. Megan is a certified personal trainer at a health club in Anderson for her full time career. A fun fact about Megan is she has a tattoo leg sleeve all about homesteading, so if you see her, ask to see it!
Charity @thepeonycottage, is named after her Mamaw’s peonies. She has been married for 20 year and has 5 children. Two-year ago, they built on an acre and started a micro homestead. They currently have a garden, dog, cats, rabbit, goats, and chickens. Her goal this year is to learn more about medical plant for salves, tinctures, and soaps and fiber arts. Both of her parents grew up on farms so she likes to say it is in her blood. She has always kept a garden even if it was throwing seeds in the ground and thought it was something everyone did. She is an old soul who loves preserving the past with her Granny list of skills to learn. She loves the challenge homesteading offers everyday. Her goal is to preserve a lifestyle from long ago. She dreams of days spent with her farm animals, canning, and making rag rugs but until then she will be chasing feral cats(kids) and trying to keep her goats and chickens away from the garden.
Britney @honiedhomestead, is a chiropractor and homesteader located in Northern Indiana! She and her husband have been homesteading for around five years now. As a chiropractor, she has always been drawn to living a more natural lifestyle and finally found what they were looking for with homesteading. They focus on growing most of their own food including meat and dairy. She also enjoys crafting her own natural remedies out of her medicinal herb garden. She gets the most joy out of this, healing our bodies with what our land provides us! As a side business, she creates mostly organic goat milk soaps and salves-free of artificial dyes and artificial fragrances. This has been fun and exciting to provide her patients and community with these products to get them thinking about what they’re putting on their bodies. She loves educating people about homesteading and encouraging folks to give it a try! It just takes one small change to create a better life, community, and world!
Gail @happyhoovesandhens grew up in the country so country living is in her blood. She learned to garden, can, freeze, sew, crochet, quilt and any craft she could get my hands on. She grew up raising calves, pigs, turkeys, and a few chickens. Moving to the "city" after she married was life changing. She missed digging in the dirt! Fast forward to starting a family, she quickly decided she wanted less city and more country. She and her husband bought their property which is just under 2 acres and raised their 4 children who were all active in 4H. Everyone learned to bake, simple sewing, change a tire, change oil, help garden, freeze, can and care for their animals. They still have a large garden, and try to preserve as much harvest as possible and enjoy having fresh eggs and their herd of Nigerian dwarf goats.