Food Independence Summit Teaches a Return to Self-Sufficient Roots

WALNUT CREEK, Ohio—Decades ago, many Americans knew the origin of their food. They lived in rural areas, grew their own food, and raised their own meat. Over time, the country’s landscape has changed, and so has the way people source their food.

Amid the rolling green hills of eastern Ohio’s Amish country, a homesteading event in its fourth year teaches attendees to return to their grandparents’ roots and become more self-sufficient.

The Food Independence Summit was co-founded by John Miller, owner of Superb Canning, and Marcus Wengerd, owner of Berlin Seeds. Both businesses are located in a region where Amish and Mennonite farms dot the landscape along roads traveled by horse-drawn buggies as well as automobiles.