Connect with your local food community and grow your homestead with plans designed for every need.
Over a decade ago, our personal journey began with simple curiosity about our food, igniting a much broader passion and desire to gain knowledge about the food products we were purchasing and consuming. How were chickens raised? What does an egg farm look like? What actually is in those chicken nuggets we are serving our kids at lunch time?
Unaware of where this would lead us, we took a step that seemed insignificant at the time: raising a dozen chickens in a semi-urban neighborhood.
That small flock doubled, teaching us the nuances of poultry management. Soon, we added dairy goats, creating cherished memories of much laughter and joy as we developed hand-milking skills. Despite the number of attempts and challenges it took to create an adequate fencing system to keep those goats contained, our passion to connect to our own food system grew- as well as our successes and failures.
Every animal, every fence, every harvest taught us something new
Moving to a larger country property, we shifted from urban homesteaders as we transported our animals late at night in the family van- an adventure revealing that chickens and goats don’t exactly prefer to be moved in that manner. We’ve since invested in a trailer.
One could say that our journey began with simply asking an intentional question about our food. Unintentionally, we grew to fit the modern label of homesteader. However, we were new homesteaders that were somewhat lacking in a structured plan, but fueled with a desire to work, learn, create and do better.
Over time, there was a sense of thrill and overwhelm at times- each project requiring us to build new knowledge and skills. Over time, we expanded to raise meat chickens, pigs, cattle and dairy goats, all the while continually enlarging our garden. Each project was shaped by seasoned experts- some local and some nationally recognized in their artful skill of agriculture. In order to prepare for our first round of meat bird processing, we gathered around as a family to watch a live demo on YouTube of how to butcher meat birds, preformed by Joel Salatin.
We know that this lifestyle isn’t about convenience or cost, but a focus on the satisfaction of proper animal care, soil management, real food, community and connection. Connection to the people around us as well as connection to the food we are producing. We would never trade this experience for the modern convenience provided by ultra-processed food. This is living.
We built Steader because we recognized a gap in how local food producers connect with their communities. Traditional social media platforms and general listing services weren't designed for the unique needs of homesteaders, and existing marketplaces didn't capture the essence of what makes local food special: the story, the relationship, and the trust.
Today, Steader stands as more than just an app—it's a movement toward stronger local food systems. Our platform combines practical tools for homesteaders to manage their operations with thoughtful features that build genuine connections between producers and their communities. Whether you're a seasoned homesteader with surplus eggs to share, a backyard gardener dreaming of expansion, or someone eager to support local food producers, Steader is your digital gathering place.
As we grow, our commitment remains steadfast: empowering homesteaders and strengthening communities by making local food accessible, personal, and built on trust. We believe in a world where homesteading cultivates prosperity and well-being in local communities, and we're building the technology to make that vision a reality.
Join us as we revolutionize local food systems—one connection, one transaction, and one community at a time.
The Steader Team
