Anthony Davis’ life on a homestead

What exactly is a homestead? 

“It’s kind of a quiet way of saying it’s a small farm… You have kind of a smaller property in which you’re not completely independent. You’re growing things in such a way that you’re a little but more in touch and in tune with environmental stewardship.”

Why did you want to own a homestead?

 “We knew we wanted to own a larger property to raise animals on. We have ducks, chickens, rabbits, lambs. 

What is your favorite part of the homestead? 

“The integration… to have your house be an extension of your life and to have it fit into the world around you…. It’s far better for the environment.”

What is the upkeep like?

“It’s like a part time job. (Our) kids have daily chores, they’re primarily responsible for feeding, watering, and taking care of the animals… We do a lot of composting, we don’t use any chemical fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides, etc.”

What do you do as advisor of the Food, Farm and Garden Club?

“It kind of encompasses the idea of integration. (We) try to work with the young people who are interested to see the connection points between the delicious meal on your plate and where it comes from and how to create that in your own yard space. We had students last month and I showed them how to build a compost pile. We planted garlic and then learned to make homemade pasta and pesto.”