Herd - A New Way to Launch Your On-Farm Workshops

Do you always find out about on-farm workshops about a week after they have finished? Or would you like to host an on-farm workshop on your farm but you are intimidated about collecting the money, advertising and communicating with people that want to come? Welcome to HERD, a new on-line on-farm workshop site that will keep you informed of on-farm workshops across the country or next door and allow you to host workshop on your farm with ease. HERD is designed to help people find out about workshops earlier and get clear, reliable information in one place. HERD takes care of sign-ups, payments, communication, and limits, so hosts can focus on teaching instead of logistics.

This new website put together by Shawn and Beth's son JohnPaul Dougherty will connect you with homesteading workshops and allow you to also connect with those who might want to sign up for a workshop on your farm. HERD is meant for small farms and everyday people who have skills to share, not just established teachers. If you have ever thought about hosting a workshop on your own farm, HERD is built to make that process much easier. We chose to use HERD for this class because it solves many of the issues we have run into hosting workshops over the years.

Still in its early stages, we are launching our first Dougherty on-farm workshop for 2026. All Things Pigs will be held March 27–28 on the Dougherty Farm in Toronto, Ohio. Shawn and Beth will lead the Care and Feeding part of the workshop and son Luke will teach you how to butcher a pig homestead style (minimum equipment and cost). Details can be found at the class section of Herd.rent at https://www.herd.rent/classes. There are only 8 slots and every participant will take home 15 pound of freshly processed pork!