Meet our 2024 speakers and presenters!
Meet Zack & Jenn
myshirefarm.com
We started raising quail to feed our family back more than a decade ago. A few years in, Zack was able to quit his job to devote himself full time to quail. Today, our family farm is one of the biggest suppliers of Coturnix quail in the US. And we are so excited about our recent expansion into Canada!
Our goal is to provide you with more than just high-quality quail. We want to help you learn new skills, so you can reach YOUR goals and experience the peace of mind that comes with increased self-sufficiency. It’s why we open up our farm to host Quail Con every year. We look forward to meeting you there!
Meet Aaron
My wife and I have a working homestead in South Louisiana. On our farm we raise pigs, emu, turkeys, Coturnix quail, and several breeds of chickens. We also grow our own vegetables and herbs, along with canning and preserving our food.
My real passion is helping people become more self-sufficient and teaching them how to calculate and lower operating costs and make some profit from their own space.
My favorite quote is: “You know what you need to do to create the life you want. The question is are you willing to do it? And whatever you decide, so it is.”
– J. Mike Fields
Meet Brian
My wife, Fran, and I are homesteaders in southeast Ohio.
I started Bee Guy Supplies in 2018 when I was having a hard time finding supplies and wanted to help others with their journey. Our business is thriving! Our mission is to meet bees needs by providing keepers with high-quality apiary supplies and bee packages at an affordable price.
I am a member of several Ohio bee clubs and the Ohio beekeeper Association. I speak to school groups and at events. I am a Mentor to a class of new high school beekeepers who built their own beehive from scratch!
Meet Cerri & Darren
Knap Family Mini Ranch
Myshire Canada
After retiring from the Canadian military in 2021, we moved to a small 5 acre farm and decided to fill our (and our family’s) freezers with healthy food. We raise quail, cattle, pigs, turkey, chickens, ducks and goats. Having realised we overproduced, we opened a farm stand. Our community has fully embraced our small farm. We have a hard time keeping the store stocked due to its popularity!
We are very much looking forward to seeing everyone and sharing in everyone’s experiences. After all, yes we did read a few books to gain insight as we built up our small farm. It’s the knowledge gained from others that has been so influential in our growth!
Meet Christopher
My wife and I live in the very Southwest corner of Missouri at the edge of the Ozarks. We raise a variety of “livestock” animals from rabbits and quail to Cornish Cross meat chickens and produce (an abundance of produce!) from our backyard in the mid sized city of Joplin.
For the past 10 years, I have been sharing his knowledge and helping others in their quail and homesteading journeys through my YouTube channel, which now has more than 100K subscribers.
Meet Dale
I have always had a drive to be more self-sufficient, and to spend more time at home with my kids. Those two passions led me to raising quail. I build well-designed, affordable quail cages so that more people can reap the benefits of raising quail.
On our homestead, we produce about 90% of what our family eats! We raise quail, rabbits, chickens, turkeys, a duck, goats, and pigs. We have a 4,500 sq ft main garden and many fruit trees. We also hunt, forage ,and fish. I enjoy sharing my knowledge to help others on their homesteading journey.
Meet Fran
We had a booth at the Homesteaders of America conference selling beekeeping equipment. The people next to us had quail! We learned a lot that weekend. After the conference, we visited Myshire Farm, where we were warmly welcomed, and picked up our first 50 eggs. We were off and running!
In my presentation, I’ll share how I went from those 50 eggs to over 300 birds – and how I got my eggs into three grocery stores, one farmer’s market, and a few restaurants!
Meet Jim
I have served as the Authorized Agent for the National Poultry Improvement Plan for Southern Ohio for the past 7 years. (NPIP is a state administered program overseen by the federal government to manage poultry disease.)
I earned my degrees from Purdue University and the University of Pennsylvania. I have raised chickens since I was four years old, over 40 years! I currently breed Black Javas, Salmon Faverolles, Dominiques, and Silver Penciled Hamburgs. I am a long-time member of the Ohio Poultry Breeders Association and I am on the Ohio National Jr. Show committee. I also raise fruit trees and Christmas trees!
Meet Katrina
I am a professional wildlife ecologist with a passion for self-sufficiency. I homestead on a 7,000 sq foot urban lot that now has over 40 fruit trees and several edible landscaping garden spaces. I raise Coturnix quail in an aviary (and coined the term “raviary,” raising rabbits over quail!) In addition, I raise chickens under rabbits in racken-style housing.
After work, I teach urban homesteading and self-sufficiency skills through local workshops and my YouTube channel, Sow and Tare. This year, I will launch a course on raising quail in aviaries through Quail University. My motto: Learn! Grow! Feast!
Meet Keith
I have raised Coturnix and button quail since 1995. In fact, I sold Myshire Farm their first ever Coturnix quail!
I own KC Lofts & Farm near Mechanicsburg, Ohio, where we raise coturnix quail, button quail, pigeons, doves, rabbits, chickens, guineas and peafowl. We also produce large amounts of fruit and plants like the amorphallus konjac, which has the third largest inflorescence. I have taught classes at schools and Quail Con on diverse topics including animal husbandry.
Meet Kelli
Hi! My name is Kelli and I’m the author of the blog, City Limit Self-Sufficient and the owner of Feathered Knechtions (pronounced connections).
During 2020, we decided not to wait until we got our dream property to get more serious about where our food comes from and learn homesteading skills. We started with chickens and Coturnix quail. We’ve expanded to Muscovy ducks, honey bees, gardening and taking classes on herbal medicine and essential oils. It’s all a work in progress but aren’t we all? Feel free to follow along with us as we go from ‘city slickers’ to homesteaders, one skill at a time. Can’t wait to meet you all at Quail Con 2024!
Meet Linda
I used to be an elementary school teacher in Florida, where I found a farm to give me fertile eggs to hatch in my classroom. I did NOT know what I was doing! Despite all my mistakes, some of the chicks hatched. After years of raising chickens and quail, I created the Hatching At Home program so parents, teachers, and kids could have a hatching experience that is joyful and stress-free.
If you are a skilled hatcher and you love supporting people, starting your own hatching rental program is a GREAT way to bring in more income to your farm, homestead, or family. I will tell you all about it at Quail Con. We’ll put together a rental kit during my presentation – and you can win it in the auction!
Meet Verna
I am homesteading in a one-bedroom apartment! I do container gardening and have experience with raising Coturnix quail, cuy, and rabbits for self-sufficiency.
I have a YouTube channel called Vey’s Place where I do a weekly livestream called Coffee and Quail with Verna. I am also an admin on the Self-Sufficient Kitchen group on Facebook.
I believe that small spaces aren’t as limiting as we might think. My motto: Nothing is impossible!