Nat Geo: Alaska Rural Homesteaders Project

A sign of the times for sure. More social issues caused by lack of interaction with other people, and more technology to make it easier to stay separated. The perfect combination for a government to grow stronger, because the population grow farther apart from one another and thus distrust their neighbor more and more. Sorry a bit of topic I know.

I remember hearing a man named Leo Bescalia (spelling??) talk one time. What he said has stuck with me a lot of years. He said the following.

"When I was a kid we used to all get together and do fun things, now everyone just sits around doing nothing, and watches the people on the TV do fun things"

These shows are popular because it allows someone to experience something without any responsibility or risk. Just like owning a boat or a horse or a number of other popular items. There are many people who like the "Idea" of homesteading, but do not want the "Responsibility" that goes along with it. Like it or not, there are becoming less and less "Doers" anymore and more and more people who are quite content to set on the couch and simply "watch". Same reason televised sports is so popular. Actually doing this stuff takes effort, and who wants to make any real effort, when you can claim someone else's victory for yourself, like "My team won".

Quote:

Originally Posted by emdeengee then there was the drama of no mayonnaise in the grocery store because all the tourists went shopping.

Wow you hit it there ! Would it be fake to show the Drama that can build up in your head around a hankering for a particular thing maybe even a particular brand and size when your stuck without it for a few months?


I know a guy that walked miles to a lodge in the snow for pickles his wife wanted, came back with the wrong brand, went back and then bummed a ride into down got the right brand and returned home to find out she wanted the LITTLE GERKINS so he made a trip to Anchorage to get them.
The joke about it she claims she didn't really care she just wanted him out of the cabin , he claims he did it cause he wanted out of the cabin !

Think about this if it was on film would it be fake drama or real?

The winters a long and boring.
Spring is often late
Summer is too busy to waste time
Fall is often short with at least one family member fussing that
There is not enough wood or coal gathered
The plans to have everything buttoned up by now is not done.

Now add in that many alaskans can't do many of the things listed.
Those in Fairbanks are not shimping, or clamming, or searching for gold...it's a big state with different activities in each area.

Are you looking for something like Mary and Bob hagg of the off the beaten tracks. The are good folks....maybe check out their son David he did it all and if the judges were honest he would still be very active in that lifestyle......plus kind used to the camera.

I can't think of anyone trying to do with a camera rolling.
Crew would be in the way.

Is the film tax credit fueling all these show up here. I am being serious as I have a friend who is very involved with that issue and might like to turn the tables on you to get the straight skinny on that. It is political hot potatoes......is it worth having,what about local hire crew jobs, secondary economic benefits....lodging and feed for the crew, car ..truck rentals catering etc. Randy could use current numbers .

If you liked these shows you will love Edwardian Farm and Tudor Monastery Farm.

And monastery farm. That was an eye opener for me.

I see folks have named near all the shows they did other than Victorian Farm, and the next one up in the time frame, AH, Edwardian Farm, the 19 teens.
I can see why they wernt named. They were pretty bad. At least the guys in them were. The woman did great. She did things the way a woman at a farm house did things back then. The guys didn't know how to do any farming. Planted wheat or oats too thin, then the weeds came up and grass and clogged the binder or mower. Couldn't plow, or take care of poor clumper. The skinny guy couldn't do anything but talk. IF he had to do something the other guy had to do most of the work doing it.

I have yet to see a reality show. Other than the 2 I mentioned.

I doubt Forerunner would ever sign up for this, but I for one, would LOVE to watch what his family does in a typical day. I use to read his wife's blog years ago and found their life so interesting! What a sweet, hard working family! They would have so much to teach the average family. I know they value their privacy and probably wouldn't consider it. Anyway, I think the show is a great idea and I look forward to watching!

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/con...fe-beyond-grid
Here is a true homesteader, his daughter now lives on the island he use to homestead. sam Cook at the DNT may be able to set you up.

What's more interesting to me are the people who balance the high-tech world we live in with the "get your hands dirty" lifestyle of a homestead.

The term "homesteading" in itself means different things to every person on these boards and would be a challenge to define to the others who don't live like many of us do.

Personally, I can't imagine cleaning out the turkey or chicken coop with a cameraman squatting under the roosts. Would be pretty darn funny, though.

Unfortunately we aren't off the grid, far from it. DH and I work in IT but come home to the country to care for our dogs, cats, chickens, turkeys, gardens, etc. Not unlike MANY others on these boards. So to us this type of lifestyle isn't weird, bizarre or "unconventional" until you talk with people who think popcorn comes from a tree (yes, I know someone who thought that).

Good luck on your quest.

__________________
Nerds on a nano-farm - since 2005

There are 10 types of people in the world. Those who understand binary and those who don't.

Guess you have not watched Dirty Jobs.
And yes they have also been Under the chicken coop floor while Mike Rowe does the cleaning. LOL

We’ve seen Mike Rowe covered in dirt before, but sometimes the most entertaining moments of Dirty Jobs are when the cameramen and producers get involved and get dirty. This afternoon, Mike Rowe shared a photo of Troy demonstrating how dirty his job can really be.


Course this in not the so called reality shows in Alaska.
BUT if you can see the blooper reels etc. you WILL see a lot of what goes on behind that camera that never makes it to the TV screen. They Do get dirty, they Do get themselves in trouble and even get hurt.

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Oh my, dishes yet to wash and dry

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The biggest reason the producers pick Alaska for a show like this is the State of Alaska pay producers handsomely to feature programs there. It really pads the production companies bottom line. That is why there are so many show featuring the state.

Yep, the tax credits help the shows in production cost .....that's why I wanted some numbers. In what I have reviewed the tax credit program puts money into locals and local business big time.

Housing
Cars
Local hire

But restaurants that would close for the season open and hire folks
Would you believe that florists did quite well in homer due to these shows and the locals involved truly enjoy how well the company's treat them.

Some of the excitement between known acters and locals go both ways as the production folk are just in awe of local life in the sticks.

In the last legislature season the tax break was an issue I was following closely and running numbers. The program seems to work here how it is administered. But it is something.... like every thing our government does.

I just like to hear more first hand info.

I would also be more interested in seeing how modern day technologies can be combined with a more sustainable way of living. The trick for me is to find a balance between the two so we can move to a more balanced way of life for everyone. I'm in IT just like one of the previous posters and the main reason for me to start a mini-homestead is to literally "see the fruits of my labor". It can really get you down when you sit cooped up in a windowless cubicle in front of a computer screen year in and year out and don't really "see" anything that you create.
I also see the destruction that is caused by the current food system and I realize that it will not be sustainable into the future, so I would like to do my part to alleviate the problem. It's not much, but I hope that by leading by example and doing the best I can other people will be inspired as well.
So a show that documents how a "modern day life-style" can be combined with a more sustainable way to treat our earth and produce food for ourselves would be more appealing to me than producing another drama show about how it's done in Alaska.

I watched those programs also. Excellent shows! Did you try the 1940's House? Shows war time rationing in Britain. Very good. Makes me glad I live now

Fact is 99% of the homestead/wilderness shows are full of posers, newbies, or frauds. It would be nice to see something different.

I loved it when the "mountain man" was scared to go outside due to a bear!!!! Yep, the DW runs them off with a flash light.

How about the Alaska "homestead" wife that can't shoot a gun! She darn near put her eye out.

The "Provider" that has his wife do the work.


We have neighbours on a living off the land type show... they go south each year, grow half the variety we do and make money by selling over priced jewellery... Not exactly "living off the land".

As an alaskan I am scared of brown bears. I like guns in the hand of the best shooters around. I prefer others too handle the gun. It is not foolish to wait inside and let a bear pass.

Just gotta chime in for the best no drama portrayal of some lifestyles in Alaska, check out Life Below Zero http://channel.nationalgeographic.co...fe-below-zero/ And yes, Sue is awesome.

I am watching Green Valley now. I bypass the stuff dealing with the church. I couldn't stand watching the war years cause of the inclusion of the war into farmers lives.

And sometimes waiting for the bear to just go away does not work. Our friend and my husband's colleague was killed by a grizzly last week - the bear broke into their house and the attack against her and her husband started inside. Her husband shot and killed the bear but the damage to her was too extensive. October is a very dangerous month for bears. Never be without a gun.