COLLIN COLLEGE

Homesteading:

THE ULTIMATE DIY EXPERIENCE

by Heather Darrow

Have you ever wondered if you could live off the land and grow enough food to support your family? It sounds like the teaser for a new survival show, but it’s not. After wandering through rows of empty grocery store shelves in early 2020, area residents like retired Army infantryman Coty Jacobs began to contemplate possibilities that are literally underfoot.

“I thought, ‘let’s use what we’ve got,’” said Jacobs, a father of four and the vice president of Collin College’s new agriculture club. “We have one and a half acres of land. We started with chickens, looked into bees, and then I saw a Collin College event about homesteading at the Rita and Truett Smith Public Library.”

That’s where Jacobs met Anne Thornton, Collin College director of agriculture. With decades of farming and animal husbandry experience, she currently raises chickens, cattle, and pigs.

“I typically go to the grocery store every six to eight weeks for things I cannot grow myself and freeze,” said Thornton, who leads the college’s Urban Sustainable Agriculture program.

This program’s professors provide students with the opportunity to learn sustainable practices, incorporate precision technology, and develop food solutions for an ever-increasing population.

“My goal is to start a small urban farm using hydroponic freight containers to save space,” Jacobs said. “Collin’s program works perfectly for me because it has the classes I want and it’s affordable. You get the whole system with all the details.”

Collin College Adjunct Agriculture Professor Michaela Bledsoe teaches small farming and takes the guesswork out of quandaries like how many vegetables to grow to feed a family of four.

“We address sustainable horticulture and crop production from an urban viewpoint,” Bledsoe said. “Students gain hands-on skills for classroom concepts from hydroponics and greenhouse management to student-run raised beds where they germinate and propagate plants to grow as a community garden. Courses in animal science, sustainable agriculture, agriculture marketing and economics, and agriculture construction help students build an ‘agriculture toolbox.’ These skills equip them to achieve their goals after earning associate degrees or jumpstart them on their paths to earning bachelor’s degrees.”

Jacobs is excited to continue his homesteading journey and put his knowledge to the test.

“I can capture rain and feed my family and not have to rely on anyone,” he said. “The most exciting thing is to see my kids watering plants, feeding chickens, and gathering eggs. When you are doing this yourself, it brings a sense of pride. It is like therapy. You just go out in your yard and see what you’ve got for the day.”

For more information about urban sustainable agriculture classes at Collin College, visit www.collin. edu/department/agriculture/.

For more information about the Wylie Campus seed library, visit collin.libguides.com/seedlibrary.

To register for classes at the Wylie Campus, visit www. collin.edu/campuses/wylie. •