Southwest Indiana Homesteading Conference Helps Local Producers Improve, Diversify Farm Operations

Friday’s pre-conference sessions explore food preservation, focusing on pressure canning subjects with hands-on demonstrations in the conference center kitchen. 

Saturday morning sessions involve an array of small farm presentations, with topics including beginning poultry production, mushroom cultivation, soil health and nutrient management, foraging and edible landscaping, seed saving, proper pesticide use, sheep and goat production, pruning fruit trees, and more. Afternoon sessions will center on strawbale gardening, open fire cooking, hydroponics, small engines, poultry processing, and beekeeping. 

Conference participants will receive information on production methods and processes from a variety of experts to plan for new ventures, improve current production and profitability, and diversify current operations. The event will also feature vendor booths with products, information, and services geared towards small farm operations. 

The conference will be held on Friday and Saturday, May 16 & 17, 2025, at the Daughters of Charity St. Vincent Conference Center, 9200 New Harmony Road, Evansville, IN. Friday signin begins at 11:00 AM CDT, with sessions from 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM CDT. Saturday conference check-in begins at 7:00 AM CDT, with presentations running from 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM CDT. 

Fees for this event are $35.00 per person for Friday’s pre-conference food preservation classes and $40 per person for Saturday’s homesteading conference, with registration available on-line at https://bit.ly/SWINHC2025 . Registrations are due by May 9. 

For additional information or needed accommodations contact the Purdue Extension - Warrick County office at [email protected] by April 15.