Florida Pioneer Festival 2025: Joel Salatin Talks and Homesteading Workshops

Update: The event is going to be sold out soon, but there are still educational passes available as of November 1!

Wouldn’t it be amazing to dive into a weekend packed with practical homesteading skills from top experts, foot-tapping bluegrass and country tunes, and real connections with fellow gardeners and farmers? We’re very excited about the Florida Pioneer Festival launching nearby, tailored for our Florida climate, soils, and communities.

As the team behind OffTheLand.net, we’re all in on events like this that empower backyard growers, micro-farmers, and artisans to thrive locally, ditching those vulnerable global supply chains for good. If you’ve ever wanted to learn about raising rabbits, making biochar, or growing the best veggies for our sandy soils, this is your opportunity to get inspired and equipped. And get this: It’s happening November 7 through 8, 2025, at Pioneer Park in Zolfo Springs, Florida, close enough for a day trip, with plenty of family-friendly vibes.

What Is the Florida Pioneer Festival?

This fresh event reimagines the classic Pioneer Park Days as Florida’s first major homesteading conference and festival, run by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to preserving heritage, boosting sustainability, and fostering self-reliance. It’s a two-day blend of tradition and hands-on learning, featuring workshops, speakers, live music, food trucks, and vendors offering everything from heirloom seeds to farm tools. Whether you’re a seasoned homesteader with livestock or just starting with a few pots on your porch, it’s designed to meet you where you are.

In a world where global food systems leave us at the mercy of disruptions like fuel hikes jacking up prices, pandemics causing shortages, or cyberattacks crippling supply lines, this festival is a breath of fresh air. It’s about building local resilience, knowing your farmer, and reclaiming transparency in how our food is grown, just like OffTheLand connects neighbors to barter and share their abundance without middlemen.

Highlights: Workshops, Speakers, Music, and More

From 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM both days, the grounds at Pioneer Park will be alive with action. Plan your schedule to catch it all. Here’s a taste:

Workshops and Speakers:

• Homesteading icon Joel Salatin from Polyface Farms speaks multiple times daily on topics like Pastured Broiler Business, Rotational Grazing, and marketing Q&A. His regenerative farming wisdom is gold for avoiding the all sorts of pitfalls!
• Laura Cox of Cox Homestead dives into meat rabbits as a sustainable protein source, perfect for small-scale setups.
• Rachel Hester from Whoopsy Daisy Farm covers intro to dairy sheep and wholesome milk, emphasizing nutrient-dense foods free from hidden chemicals.
• Josh Jameson from Cody Cove Farm & Nursery brings his expertise to "12 Best Veggies for Florida," sharing insights of testing rare and hard-to-find edible plants that thrive in our Central Florida conditions.
• Other gems: Biochar demos with Paul Kroll, waterbath canning with Maddison Hebenstreit, urban gardening with Leah Hagen, sourdough basics with Emily Jameson, and Florida-specific fruit varieties with Andrew Arumugam. Sessions repeat across days, so no FOMO.

Music and Entertainment:
Music weaves through the festival like the roots of a healthy food forest. Three stages in the Mercantile Market host bluegrass, folk, country, and Americana twice daily. Think The Statons on gospel, Cory Greenway on classic country, and more.

• Friday wraps with the Southern Express Bluegrass Band at 6:00 PM under the Nickerson Pavilion, their tight harmonies and joyful energy will have you tapping along.
• Saturday night headlines with rising country star Alex Key at 6:30 PM, belting out hits like "Fool That I Am" with that smooth baritone. Grab a Weekend Education Pass for access, or a separate concert ticket.

Plus, heritage demos, delicious food trucks, and kiddo activities make it a full-family affair, all set against the oaks of Pioneer Park.

Why Attend: Real Benefits for Your Homestead and Community

Homesteading events like this aren’t just fun. They tackle real problems head-on. Global supply chains are expensive (food travels 1,500 miles, inflating costs with transportation and retail markups), toxic (up to 3,000 additives and no transparency on pesticides), vulnerable (one port strike or cyberattack, and shelves empty), and exploitative (cheap overseas labor undercuts local farmers, pushing them out of business).

The Pioneer Festival flips the script:

1. Hands-On Skills for Local Resilience: Learn regenerative practices like syntropic agroforestry and permaculture, tailored to Florida’s challenges, building nutrient-dense soil instead of relying on chemical-heavy imports.
2. Community Building Over Isolation: Connect with like-minded folks to form networks, reducing dependence on centralized supply chains and creating jobs that lower crime and foster belonging.
3. Transparency and Health: Sessions emphasize knowing exactly how your food is raised, ditching mRNA-treated animals or GMO crops for wholesome alternatives.
4. Affordable and Accessible: No hefty fees or travel woes, just practical tips to generate income from your land, like we promote on OffTheLand.

It’s empowering: Visualize neighbors trading surplus, healing the environment, and securing food supplies against global failures. For conscious consumers, it’s a chance to support small-scale growers who prioritize flavor, ripeness, and care over shelf life.

Get Your Tickets and Join the Movement!

Mark your calendar for November 7 through 8, 2025, at Pioneer Park in Zolfo Springs. Opt for day passes or the full Weekend Education Pass for workshops, music, and more. Head to Florida Pioneer Festival Tickets to grab yours before they sell out!

If you’re already listing on OffTheLand.net, this is a natural extension. Meet potential barter partners, share seeds, or find clients for your consulting gigs. (Not signed up? It’s free forever. Create your digital farmstand today, here)

We’d Love Your Thoughts

We would love it if you checked out the festival and shared any feedback, for example:

• What are you most excited about (a speaker, workshop, or the music? Was something confusing, missing, or hard to find)?
• What feature or activity would help you achieve your homesteading goals?
• How can we build even stronger local networks of like-minded people near you?
• Anything else? We’d love to hear your thoughts.

This is all about growing thriving communities! Looking forward to seeing you there!

Link to the event organizer: https://www.floridapioneerfestival.com/