Workshops
Workshops for the 2026 Conference
Friday
Soil Regeneration through Intensive Ruminant Management
With: Greg Brann, Eric Smith, Kelsey Keener, Jeff Poppen
Day: Friday
Time: 2:00
Place: Solar Barn
In this pasture walk Greg Brann’s extensive experience and knowledge of grass species and insights into ruminant grazing will be augmented by a few other experienced grazers. Eric Smith from Bugtussle Farm, Kelsey Keener from Sequatchie Cove Farm, and Jeff Poppen from the Long Hungry Creek Farm plan to share their practices.
Enlivening the Soil with Horn Manure, Enlivening the Plant with Horn Silica
With: Daniela Maria, Ben Nommay and M Mueller
Day: Friday
Time: 3:00
Place: Barn
An introduction to biodynamics – a different perspective on agriculture, Horn Manure and Horn Silica – collaborating forces that bring forth life on the farm.
M Mueller, Ben Nommay and Daniela María offer their rich and diverse experience in biodynamics. Join them to learn hands-on preparation making, basic biodynamic guide lines, and practical applications. Together we will explore the importance of all 9 biodynamic preparations – the foundational impact of horn manure and horn silica – as well as how each compost preparation supports all growing phases of a plant from seed to fruit. These concepts will be presented in a two part series.
A Tribute to Wendell Berry
With: EVERYONE
Day: Friday
Time: 7:30
Place: Dining Room
The works of Wendell Berry, fifth generation Kentucky farmer, essayist, novelist, and poet, have inspired many of us for decades. In memorium and in appreciation, let’s bring our favorite passages, poems, songs, and stories of how Wendell Berry influenced you to share after dinner.
If you would like to read, but don’t have something in mind – ask and we’ll have a poem or passage for you.
Saturday
Landrace Seed Selection for the Regenerative Farm: Resilience, Productivity & Flavor!
With: Susana Lein
Day: Saturday
Time: 9:00
Place: House
Learn to select and maintain locally-adapted landrace seed for more resilient, productive, and nutrient-dense crops that resist pests and disease! After more than 3 decades of regenerative organic food production, Susana Lein of Salamander Springs Farm considers seed stewardship a key element of a regenerative farm. For some crops, the difference in productivity, flavor and resistance has been dramatic, compared to commercial organic seed.
Understand and work with the pollination and seed production characteristics of important crop families, and how to harvest, dry, process and store seeds at small farm or garden scale without expensive equipment. Learn to select and maintain your own landraces with nutrient-dense flavor and the genetic diversity for ongoing local adaption and reliability in challenging climate conditions. Seed crop families covered will include the key staple crops of the milpa indigenous agricultural system that Susana learned during 8 1/2 years of working Mayan farmers in Latin America in the 1990’s.
Soil Regeneration through Intensive Ruminant Management
With: Greg Brann, Eric Smith, Kelsey Keener, Jeff Poppen
Day: Saturday
Time: 9:00
Place: Woodshed
In this pasture walk Greg Brann’s extensive experience and knowledge of grass species and insights into ruminant grazing will be augmented by a few other experienced grazers. Eric Smith from Bugtussle Farm, Kelsey Keener from Sequatchie Cove Farm, and Jeff Poppen from the Long Hungry Creek Farm plan to share their practices.
Practical Preparation Making,
Some Spiritual Imaginations from Steiner’s Ag Lectures
With: Daniela Maria, Ben Nommay and M Mueller
Day: Saturday
Time: 9:00
Place: Barn
Introduction to the biodynamic compost preparations. Looking at the biological process that the preparations hold and the spiritual side that drives them.
M Mueller, Ben Nommay and Daniela María offer their rich and diverse experience in biodynamics. Join them to learn hands-on preparation making, basic biodynamic guide lines, and practical applications. Together we will explore the importance of all 9 biodynamic preparations – the foundational impact of horn manure and horn silica – as well as how each compost preparation supports all growing phases of a plant from seed to fruit. These concepts will be presented in a two part series.
From the Iron Age to the Anthropocene
How Steiner’s Michaelmas Imagination Gives a Path to the Future
With: Ben Davis
Day: Saturday
Time: 10:00
Place: Barn
Within our blood flows the latent force shaping our modern world. How can we recognize and work with this power, outwardly and inwardly, and what guidance did Steiner leave to us in the form of his Michaelmas Imagination? Why is this important to farmers and gardeners? How can we claim the Anthropocene for the Good?
Getting Started with Milk Cows
With: Jessie Moleni
Day: Saturday
Time: 10:00
Place: Porch
This talk will be useful for a person/family that wants to invest in a family milk cow but is worried about the level of commitment they require. Some talking points will include
- The importance of having buy-in from your partner/spouse/older kids.
- Connecting with other milk-cow owners and finding a milk-cow mentor.
- Giving your cow a longer dry-off period to free the family up for off-farm adventures.
- Finding committed herdshare members.
- Calf sharing for easier management.
- Making friends with bull owners.
- Cow temperament and why it will make your experience more manageable.
Alternative Land Ownership Models Outside of the Speculative Real Estate Market
With: Kristina Rossi Villa and Dorothy Hinkle-Uhlig
Day: Saturday
Time: 11:00
Place: House
Successful transition of farmland to next generation farmers is critical for agriculture and who can access land is tied to the present concept of land ownership. We are creating new paradigms around land ownership that take land out of the commodities market with it’s destructive forces of speculation. The Farmers Land Trust and Living Lands Trust are working within the present legal parameters to create alternatives to the way land is owned, accessed, stewarded, and how tenure and equity is conveyed. These two organizations are actively creating innovative models, examples, and pathways to transition land from one generation to the next, and securely give farmers, stewards and ranchers access to land for agricultural enterprises. The work is exciting and ever-evolving. Let us explore this topic together.
From the Compost Pile to the Human Being:
The Preparation Plants as Medicine – Part 1 – Mostly Lecture
With: Mark Hancock, and Enid Hancock
Day: Saturday
Time: 11:00
Place: Woodshed
Every biodynamic farmer knows yarrow, chamomile, nettle, oak bark, dandelion, valerian, and stinging nettle as the plants that go into the compost preparations. Fewer of us have looked at what those same plants do inside a human being. They are medicines, and the process each one carries in the compost is the process it carries in the body.
In this workshop we take the preparation plants one at a time. Dr Mark works as a physician in integrative oncology and anthroposophic medicine, and will describe what each plant does clinically: yarrow for venous congestion and the liver, nettle for the iron and blood-building process, chamomile for digestion and spasm, valerian for warmth and sleep. Enid will bring the hands on application alongside each plant. She has worked with these remedies and therapies for many years and has trained in metal colored light therapy in Sweden and Germany.
Participants will handle and smell the herbs, work briefly with an unnamed plant to practice reading its gesture directly, and learn a yarrow herbal compress.
Special Discussion: “The Long Haul”
With: Jeff Poppen, Ben Davis, Debbie Brann, Greg Brann, Eric Smith, Cher Smith, Kelsey Keener, Susana Lien, Robin Verson, and more…
Day: Saturday
Time: 2:00
Place: Solar Barn – dining room
Join in a circle of experienced farmers and gardeners who’ve been at it for decades to hear how and why they persevere.
Beyond Moon Signs: Traditional Astrology, Magic, and the Art of Agriculture
With: Todd Elliott
Day: Saturday
Time: 3:00
Place: House
In this workshop seasoned organic farmer, astrologer, and magical practitioner, Todd Elliott, will show us some of the ways he incorporates the esoteric into the operation of a working farm. We will begin by exploring the cosmology of traditional astrology and continue from there to an explanation of the basic concepts of the magical art and how it can relate to farming. We will concentrate on astrological magic, which is an ancient system for harnessing the energies of the stars and planets for spiritual growth and practical success, as well as discussing theurgical and shamanic approaches to working with earthly and heavenly powers from ancient Paganism, Western esotericism and beyond. We will touch upon weather magic, pest control, increasing fertility and more. We will also discuss the various traditions of using astrology to time work on the farm.
From the Compost Pile to the Human Being:
The Preparation Plants as Medicine – Part 2 – Mostly Practice
With: Mark Hancock, and Enid Hancock
Day: Saturday
Time: 3:00
Place: Woodshed
Every biodynamic farmer knows yarrow, chamomile, nettle, oak bark, dandelion, valerian, and stinging nettle as the plants that go into the compost preparations. Fewer of us have looked at what those same plants do inside a human being. They are medicines, and the process each one carries in the compost is the process it carries in the body.
In this workshop we take the preparation plants one at a time. Dr Mark works as a physician in integrative oncology and anthroposophic medicine, and will describe what each plant does clinically: yarrow for venous congestion and the liver, nettle for the iron and blood-building process, chamomile for digestion and spasm, valerian for warmth and sleep. Enid will bring the hands on application alongside each plant. She has worked with these remedies and therapies for many years and has trained in metal colored light therapy in Sweden and Germany.
Participants will handle and smell the herbs, work briefly with an unnamed plant to practice reading its gesture directly, and learn a yarrow herbal compress.
Know Till: Farming Without Plastic, Growing Without Harm
With: Anthony Villa
Day: Saturday
Time: 3:00
Place: Barn – with the implements
Join farmer and artist Anthony Villa of Villa Acres for a fresh perspective on how food can be grown without harming the land. In this session, Anthony will share his “Know Till” approach an alternative to plastic ground covers, synthetic inputs, and the hidden costs of convenience. Instead, he offers regenerative methods that honor soil health, biodiversity, and future generations. Come learn how farming with knowledge, care, and creativity can feed communities while healing the earth.
Finding Balance on a Multi Generation, Diversified Family Farm.
With: Kelsey Keener
Day: Saturday
Time: 4:15
Place: House
Learn how the Keeners’ Sequatchie Cove Farm has evolved over the years and strives to strike the balance ecologically, financially and personally working side by side with multiple generations. Sequatchie Cove Farm produces eggs from thousands of chickens, raise hundreds of sheep, grow heirloom corn and vegetables as well as hosting on farm events and educational workshops.
Strengthening Our Fiber Community:
Identifying and Addressing Local Needs in Fiber Production
With: Debbie Brann, Robin Verson, and Cher Smith
Day: Saturday
Time: 4:15
Place: Woodshed
Join Robin Verson from Hill and Hollow Farm, Debbie Brann of River Cottage Farm, and Cher Smith of Bugtussle Farm as they share their stories of developing farm fiber products while protecting our natural resources using regenerative practices in fiber production.
This session encourages everyone interested in all aspects of the local fiber community to share their perspectives on the current state of fiber production in the community. However you engage in the fiber community as a shepherd, dyer, spinner, weaver, designer or the wearer of locally sourced, sustainably raised clothing, this session will leave you inspired to build a resilient local fiber economy.
” The Extollation of Decaying Light ”
A discussion on the virtue of Electricity
With: Chris Winters
Day: Saturday
Time: 4:15
Place: Barn
In this workshop we will explore the relationship of soil and soul through the lens of Electroculture and Medical Qigong. The dynamic development of the farmer is an integral and cardinal component within sustainable agriculture, and it is important to both the farm and the farmer. We will examine spiritual, agricultural, and scientific insights to find the points of coalescence and a unified concept of life energy.
We will install an Electroculture antenna and grounding system and discuss the many points of interest in the way they function in agriculture as well as how that relates to our bodies and the macrocosm. There will be plenty of time for questions and answers during this time.
Sunday
Homeopathic Self Care
With: Richard Monet
Day: Sunday
Time: 10:00
Place: House
In this open discussion workshop, Richard will introduce some of the basic concepts of homeopathy and field questions from the audience to illustrate has to “take a case” and arrive at a suitable homeopathic medicine to take. His goal is to make homeopathy more accessible to lay people.
Reading the Agriculture Course
With: Jeff Poppen and Friends
Day: Sunday
Time: 10:00
Place: Solar Shed
In this event we will read from Rudolf Steiner’s Agriculture Course. Someone will read aloud, and the rest of us will follow along. There will be time for questions during the reading so that we can elucidate the ideas presented in the text. It’s usually an insightful and lively discussion.
This year, we will read Lecture Eight, which covers the interactions between substances and forces involved in animal feeding; the relationship between the intestines and the brain; the importance of animal manure for plants; and guidelines for feeding young animals raised for different purposes.