On Today’s Podcast Episode Harold Has A Conversation With William Horvath From PermacultureApprentice.com About Farm And Homestead Management To Accomplish Your Goals, Maintain The Operation, and Avoid Overwhelm.

The Modern Homesteading Podcast, Episode 209 – June 26, 2023

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William Horvath is a geologist turned permaculture farmer and educator. He runs a small experimental permaculture site in Croatia, Southeast Europe, and his website, Permaculture Apprentice, where he helps aspiring permaculture farmers and homesteads find, design, and develop their properties.

Through his consulting and coaching work, William has assisted over 1000 people in starting their permaculture properties and implementing permaculture systems, from backyard to broadacre scale. William lives with his wife and five-year-old son on an ¼ acre urban farm on the outskirts of a small town and manages his 7-acre rural permaculture site where he implements and tests permaculture practices he teaches.

Links

• William’s website: www.permacultureapprentice.com
• William’s courses: https://permacultureconversion.com/home/
• Book William Mentioned: American Horticultural Society Plant Propagation: The Fully Illustrated Plant-by-Plant Manual of Practical Techniques – https://amzn.to/3XexOMb
• Additional Material William Has Made Available For Listeners of The Modern Homesteading Podcast Can Be Found Here: https://permacultureapprentice.com/harold

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Navigating Homestead Management: A Conversation with William Horvath

In this episode of the Modern Homesteading Podcast, host Harold Thornbro engages in a thought-provoking discussion with William Horvath from Permaculture Apprentice. The focus is on effective farm and homestead management, encompassing time and project management. William shares his unique journey from Croatia to permaculture expert, emphasizing the need for structured management in homesteading.

William Horvath’s Journey to Permaculture

• Early Life: Growing up in Croatia during the Yugoslavian War, William’s childhood on a small farm was marked by self-reliance and a close connection with nature.
• Career Path: His initial career as an exploration geologist in Australia conflicted with his nature-centric values, leading him to permaculture.
• Return to Roots: With family land in Croatia and a vision for permaculture, William embarked on transforming his property and sharing his experiences through his website, Permaculture Apprentice.

The Need for Homestead Management

• Overcoming Overwhelm: Balancing various roles, including fatherhood and managing a homestead, necessitates an effective management system to maintain sanity and efficiency.
• Seasonal Sensitivity: Homesteading tasks are inherently seasonal, requiring precise timing for activities like planting and harvesting.

William’s Trident of Homestead Management

• The What: Creating a roadmap with phases and steps for each homesteading system, like establishing a food forest.
• The When: Developing a calendar to time tasks accurately, ensuring they are done at the most beneficial times of the year.
• The How: Establishing efficient methods and protocols for executing tasks, like the correct way to plant trees.

Practical Implementation

• Personal Experience: William shares his process of establishing a food forest, emphasizing the importance of doing tasks in the correct sequence and at the right time.
• Using Technology: He advocates using online tools and documents for planning and tracking, such as Google Docs, Evernote, and specialized project management software like Notion.
• Resource Management: He highlights the importance of managing expectations and not comparing oneself to others, focusing instead on personal progress.

Conclusion

William Horvath’s approach to homestead management is a blend of practicality and technology. By managing expectations and focusing on consistent progress, he demonstrates that effective management is key to achieving homesteading goals. His website, Permaculture Apprentice, offers a wealth of resources and courses that cover the entire journey of homesteading, from land acquisition to implementation and maintenance.