Show Notes
In Episode #26 of The Coop, Anna sits down with Cassidy Cornell (suburban homesteader, backyard farmer, author of The One Acre Homestead, and McMurray Hatchery team member) for a practical, encouraging conversation about raising food (and livestock) on a smaller scale.
Cassidy shares her journey into homesteading and how she’s been able to raise chickens, meat birds, ducks, quail, rabbits, and goats on a modest property. She offers clear, experience-based advice on choosing the right animals, managing limited space, and avoiding the biggest mistakes new small-space homesteaders often make.
Anna and Cassidy dig into breed recommendations for high egg production versus efficient meat birds, the unique needs of ducks and quail, whether rabbits and goats make sense in tighter spaces, and how to design systems that maximize food production without overwhelming your time or property. They also talk about the importance of community sufficiency (sourcing what you can’t raise yourself from local producers) and the value of staying realistic about your current season of life. Whether you’re working with a quarter-acre suburban lot, dealing with zoning restrictions, or simply want to get more from the land you already have, this episode delivers practical ideas and genuine encouragement. You don’t need a large farm to start producing real food.
More from The Coop
John Bush has spent years teaching people how to move toward greater freedom and autonomy through his work with Live Free Academy and the Exit and Build program.
Rory Groves has spent fourteen years on a southern Minnesota homestead building a practice of resilience. He’s made his mark asking questions like “How do you build a life that still stands if the job, the market, or the news goes sideways?”
Episode #30 of The Coop is for anyone standing at the edge of a bigger life … and wondering if they have to leap overnight. Homestead Living Editor-in-Chief Anna Sakawsky sat down with Jason Contreras (Homestead Living contributor and the voice behind Sow the Land) to talk about the long road from a standard modern life outside Los Angeles to a working homestead in North Carolina.
In Episode #29 of The Coop, Anna sits down with Anne Briggs (Anne of All Trades … homesteader, woodworker, teacher, and Homestead Living contributor) for an honest conversation about getting things done when your brain, your time, and the farm all pull in different directions.
In Episode #28 of The Coop, Anna sits down with Larry Littrell … urban homesteader, specialized real estate agent, and author of Fresh Starts Old Roots. They have an important conversation about one of the biggest decisions many homesteaders face: whether to stay, move, buy, or sell.