On September 12, Auburn University Rural Studio hosted a free Homestead Day in Hale County, AL, partnering with specialists at the Aquatics Resources Team from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) and with the College of Architecture, Design and Construction (CADC) on a larger scale.
The event served landowners, farmers, families, and others interested in practical rural living. Associate Professor Emily McGlohn explained that “responsible land ownership touches many aspects of living in a rural place.” Because ACES and Rural Studio both aim to learn about rural living, they worked together to create Homestead Day, an outreach event to share knowledge with the regional community. And what a success! Over a dozen experts came from near and far—up to two and a half hours away—to work with participants; they brought their know-how from Auburn University, ACES, and regional nonprofits, and specialized networks. These experts provided practical, hands-on demonstrations, gave recommendations, and answered questions. They addressed many aspects of land ownership in Alabama: gardening and soil, sustainable agriculture, food preservation, cottage food law, pond and water management, fishing and aquaculture, heirs’ property, and conservation.
The 12 sessions for adults and two activities for children were set up at locales stretching from Rural Studio’s Morrisette House to the Newbern Library just over a half mile north along Highway 61. Homestead Day offered not only the opportunity to learn by listening, seeing, and touching—literally getting hands dirty, especially at the Soil Stories event—but also to ask specific questions and connect.
At Rural Studio Farm, visitors discovered more about growing and preserving food. They toured the farm to learn about small-scale agriculture, organic growing, and soil management. They also learned strategies for producing crops throughout the year. Workshops and talks also covered table-top aquaponics, fall crops, pest management, soil science, and sustainability. The specialist on home food preservation covered preserving fish and produce at home through canning, drying, and freezing, and visitors learned about Alabama Cottage Food Law, which applies to small businesses.
Morrisette House hosted sessions tied to land ownership and stewardship. The Alabama Heirs’ Property Alliance helped visitors navigate the challenges of heirs’ property, or inheritance by multiple family members without clear documentation—a problem that can make it tricky for owners to build, plan their estate inheritance, and more. Visitors also learned about the social and economic benefits of employing conservation practices with the Black Belt Prairie Initiative on their land (and how to offset the cost) and of protecting birds, as well as about rural wastewater challenges and solutions.
Fisheries are important not just to the region’s diet and culture but also to the economy. The ACES Aquatics Resources Team hosted sessions that addressed facets of the industry. Experts covered how to use floating cages in existing ponds to raise fish, how to manage ponds sustainably, and even how to process and prepare fish, up through filleting the fish. They left the next stages—breading or lemon butter—to participants’ imaginations.
The event also had hands-on science and soil activities for children and adults with youthful spirits and curious minds. Auburn’s 36-foot Geo Explorer Bus let encouraged exploration and questions. The solar bus, the largest mobile geosciences-themed lab in the world experience, boasts a tornado simulator, a digital microscope, and an augmented reality sandbox. And both adults and children stopped at Soil Stories to learn about soils in both visual art, story, and science, and to get a true hands-on, hands-in-it experience.
Two of these events—Soil Stories and the visualization of wastewater systems—were made possible by the CADC Seed Grant program, which provides early-stage funding to faculty pursuing new research, scholarship, and creative work. This grant program particularly supports work that has the potential to develop into larger projects, external funding opportunities, or long-term collaboration.
We hope this rewarding and educating partnership is the first of many, with repeat visitors and first-timers!
