Why subscribe to the Homestead Rebel?

John and Geri Newell founded Primal Woods and Homestead Rebel Farm because they wanted to further their lives in ways that brought them closer to the earth, their community, and each other. They left the corporate world, the city and the suburbs, and moved to a Homestead in Southwest Michigan.

“Beyond a physical move, this was also a move towards greater self­-sufficiency, and a reliance on local resources and people for those things we cannot or choose not to provide for ourselves,” says John Newell. “It was also a move toward a business that serves the community, including suppliers, employees, and customers, as well as ourselves.

The Homestead includes a sizable woods and approximately 8 acres of native tall grass pasture. Our early experiments included gardening, beekeeping, maple syruping, hunting, wood products, soap making, and an ongoing exploration into forest products and forest management in general. Some of these experiments have come to form two facets of Primal Woods, the Sawyers (including portable bandsaw mill, solar kiln drying and Alaskan chainsaw mill services), and the Sugarers (including various Pure Maple Syrup products). On the homesteading front we raise Oxen, Pigs, Goats, Laying Hens and Broiler Chickens, and we run a “Farm Stay” Airbnb.

And of course, you’ll learn about why Homesteading and Subsistence Farming are rebellious acts!

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