This is a continuation of ideas on a previous thread.
I, among many others, have been discussing a need for an Event in the "Deep South" to showcase and celebrate our Southern Heritage and to introduce the public at large to what we folks know and enjoy with our chosen lifestyle.
At no other time in our modern history has such a perfect opportunity arisen for we folks to pass on what we have learned to a more willing public. With our economy in a shambles and our Government throwing away our future, now is the time to teach to an interested public, what we know about sustainable food production. With so many having never learned the skills of food production and little hope for the average family to pay the grocery bill, it only makes sense for us to come to the aide of fellow man.

I encourage anyone with an idea about what can make an interested public, even more so. Anyone with an idea about the best location to get started, anyone with a desire to be a part of a living heritage, that has a skill that needs to be passed on so that our children will be armed with the tools to survive in uncertain times. I encourage you one and all to join me and others to develope a Festival to celebrate with and to teach the public what it meant and will continue to mean, to be a Southerner.

I can be contacted at

There are a lot of folks out there more qualified than me to do this and it is my hope that those folks will join in and let's make this something that we can all be proud to say we are a part of.

Todd-I think you're on to something here.

I visited with a former co-worker last week. He has taken up canning meat-venison, beef and poultry. It has to be over 10 years ago he came here and we went fishing. Caught some nice fish, daughter in law fixed them up for supper and I sent some canned goose home with him. And so it starts??????

Let me know how I can help you with this. An old man, frail and in his sunset years is willing to help a Southerner like you for survival of the future.

Just don't let's us talk politics.

What all are you looking to do?Is it going to be stuff as simple as just raising a small garden that would take care of a single family or are you looking at something bigger?

To answer your question, "sustainable food production" covers a lot of things, from growing a small garden, to animal husbandry, to producing the tools needed to cultivate the Earth. It would be beneficial to provide examples and hands-on instruction of as many aspects of Draft Animal Powered Agriculture as possible.

My good friend Mr. Flowers had almost the perfect idea in his Old Time Farmer's Gathering. The only thing that could have been added would have been the showcasing and sales of new equipment.

What I am looking for right now is a core group of folks that are willing to invest their time and resources to develop a plan from which we can proceed to the next step of actually holding the first event.

In the interest of not overloading Uncle Joe, I'd prefer we discuss this endevour privately. I can be reached at the address previously provided.

Todd, I am going to call you myself with some ideas, but this is for others benefit...I know Brabant Owner used to put on a big show. I spent many hours talking with his wife abotu all the wonderful things that they had there. We might have to begin small, but it would be really nice to have something that included more than just plowing. Maybe some of the other skills of rural life like soap making, apple butter, blacksmithing, canning, gardenin (all the steps, not just the horse stuff). The way I figure it, there are others that are very interested in these types of things.
As a matter of fact, I just spent the last three days in Leadership Georgia. It is part of a five event schedule this year. The entire focus of the leadership progrma this year is "Growing a Global Georgia". This past venure was ALL on sustainable agriculture and topcs of from the farm to the table. Green is in, and sustainable agriculture does have interest. The horses will fit in as a very integral part, but if you want to involve a big crowd, it will be in how you market it.

The North Carolina Department of Agriculture (www.ncagr.com) has a "Got To Be NC Festival" every year at the state fairgrounds in Raleigh. It is held the very last of May or first of June. This ideal would fit right in as they already have programs on sustainable farming, antique tractor and equipment displays, antique tractor pulling, draft horse pulling, to name a part of the events. The fairgrounds cover several hundred acres and would be and is the perfect setting for such an event. We have a great Secretary of Agriculture, Steve Toxler (even though he is a Republican), who is open minded and dedicated to agricultural industry in our state. I would think this festival would make a perfect partner with an event as you propose. I would be glad to help in any way possible as this could and would be a great educational event for all concerned.