Modern Homesteading Conference draws families to Coeur d’Alene fairgrounds

Thousands of families filled the Kootenai County Fairgrounds in Coeur d’Alene for the 4th Annual Modern Homesteading Conference, with Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms serving as the marquee draw. Organizers billed the June 26-27 gathering as a weekend for 4,000 homesteaders, a sign that practical food production and self-reliance continue to command attention in Kootenai County.

The conference was held at 4056 N. Government Way and packed its schedule with live demonstrations, hands-on workshops, food trucks, vendors and access to Salatin’s lecture. Vendor booths opened at 7 a.m. Friday and Saturday, giving early shoppers a chance to browse goods tied to gardening, food preservation, seed saving, small livestock and home processing. A Sunday morning church service was also listed for June 28.

Salatin was scheduled twice, first for a Friday evening keynote titled Homesteaders Liabilities & Leverages and again Saturday afternoon for Small Farms, Big Impact. The 2026 speaker lineup also included Sally Fallon Morell, Daniel Salatin, Carolyn Thomas, Melissa K. Norris, Joe Lamp’l, RuthAnn Zimmerman, Don Tipping, Tim Eng, Kevin Trosclair, Pete Strayer, Bethany Hutson, Kelsey Harms, Seth Smith, Trevor Hollenback, Karson Rippstein and Mary Heffernan. That mix put regenerative agriculture, food preservation, animal processing and household skills at the center of the weekend.

For local vendors and attendees, the crowd pointed to a market that reaches beyond hobby gardening. The fairgrounds became a place where North Idaho families spent money on tools, classes and products tied to food security, home production and off-grid know-how. The format also showed how the homesteading movement has moved into the mainstream of regional consumer life, with a recognizable national name like Salatin anchoring the draw while local shoppers looked for practical skills they can use at home.

A 2024 write-up on the conference described that year’s event as featuring 30 speakers and 130 vendors, offering a useful comparison point for how far the gathering has grown. This year’s promotion around 4,000 homesteaders and a full slate of experts showed the same pattern in sharper form, with Coeur d’Alene serving as a regional hub for families looking to spend on preparedness, independence and homegrown living.