Immersive Education for the Homesteading Renaissance.
Our goal is to foster personal freedom for the next generation of agrarians through regenerative homesteading education.
Lodestar
noun | (ˈlōd-ˌstär) | from lode (“way, course, journey”) + star
- A star by which one directs one’s course
- A guiding ideal
- A model for imitation
Who We Are
Lodestar Gardens Learning Center is a demonstration site for regenerative off-grid homesteading in the high-desert Southwest, offering retreats and world-class field education in biodynamic farming, permaculture principles, & sustainable living.
Meet Barbara & Clark Hockabout
First, let us say that we are not “preppers” in the common understanding of the word. Fear-based circumstances do not motivate us; we chose this lifestyle and developed it over decades. We meandered, experimented, learned by trial and error over many growing seasons, years of changing technologies, and most impressively, radical social/economic change.
Since 2000, we have trained many volunteers, offered workshops, classes, tours, and markets. We have been implementing permaculture and biodynamic strategies, perfecting more efficient off-grid energy production, and experimenting with growing practices to produce greater yield. Daily we network with other homesteaders in own grassroots food co-operative.
Unfortunately, those just starting on the path don’t have the luxury of such organically-driven evolution. How do you create a balance between necessary chop-wood-carry-water “mule energy” and the dream-fulfilling long view?
We are experts in how to make homesteading work as a sustained, holistic experience. We are poets and writers who use both pen and plow to find balance in this amazing transition in which we find ourselves. At this point in our homesteading maturity, we are able to catapult your capacity to create your own unique homestead by sharing the truth and realities of this lifestyle. Our greatest credential is real-world experience.
We offer consultations for anyone looking to create a sustainable food village in their immediate area.
Feeling called to homestead? Discover what self-reliant living feels like at the 4-day Earth Tribes retreat.
WHEN: May 21-25, 2026
WHERE: Lodestar Gardens Learning Center
Experience what it’s like to live & learn on an off-grid homestead. Receive an introduction to permaculture principles and regenerative living from expert homesteaders. Immerse yourself in the beauty of the high-desert, eat fresh organic food, and connect with like-minded current & future homesteaders.
Homesteading Apprenticeship Program (HAP)
Introducing an accelerated path to self-reliant land stewardship, starting 2027.
1. Apply for Admission to the 6-Month High Desert Homesteading Certification Program.
Many want to return to the land, but few know what it takes.
We are seeking driven creatives, philosophers, farmer-poets, & budding homesteaders for our first cohort in April 2027. Limited admission.
Apprentices will reside for three growing seasons at our off-grid small-farm campus, undertake an independent research project, and develop practical competency in all 8 components of homesteading: food & energy production, water conservation, shelter construction, diligent animal husbandry, waste recycling, philosophy of land stewardship, and community networking. Graduates receive the Lodestar High-Desert Homesteading Certification from Arizona Association of Environmental Education (AAEE) certified and expert instructors. Tuition includes room & board.
Application deadline: November 11, 2026
2. Become a Second-Year Homesteading Mentor
Certified apprentices are invited to return for a second year of study, serving as Lodestar Homesteading Mentors/Assistant Teachers for the incoming cohort. They are eligible for full and partial scholarships for room & board during the 6-month growing season.
3. Gain eligibility for the Lodestar Land Stewardship Program
Apprentices who have successfully completed second-year residency gain eligibility to join our farm village as a Lodestar Land Steward, building their own shelter to live and grow crops on their own plot of land.
What sets HAP apart:
- Sustained, embodied, comprehensive, offline learning across all three growing seasons –– spring, summer, fall
- Expert instructors with decades of experience
- Certified by the Arizona Association of Environmental Education (AAEE)
- An autonomous and self-governing organization, free of any dogma, censorship, or political agenda
- Daily organic meals & communal living in sustainably-built residences
- Independent research guided by experts
- Personalized career & networking assistance for graduates
- Socratic discussion, reading groups, and writing instruction
- Facilitation of individual creativity & spiritual health through silent retreats, embodied mindfulness practices, ceramics, painting, photography, etc.
- Guest lecturers, artisans, innovators, and veteran homesteaders from across the world
- Pathway to farming & living on your own plot of land in our village
“Easily one of the more enlightening and worthwhile challenges that I have undertaken… You are given all the tools needed to do a first-rate job…“
Mark (Lodestar Farm Manager, Peace Corps, USA)
“I came to Lodestar Gardens hoping for a quiet adventure with nature and to gain knowledge of cultivating food. I leave with more confidence in myself, both spiritual and physical, than I could have ever hoped for.“
Clarissa (Musician, Painter, Community Garden Designer, UofTexas)
“My time here has shown me a different way of perceiving the natural world around me and how humanity fits into it, as well as what it means to try and be self-sufficient in our time.“
Connor (Engineer, Scotland)
Integrating old world traditions with new technologies
Our most recent homesteading experiments focus on small scale grain production for our animals, creating our own soil building amendments, and straw bale/limestone construction. Discover more of what Lodestar Gardens Learning Center has to offer:
A Thriving Grassroots Food Co-op
Since 2011, the Lodestar Grassroots Food Cooperative now feeds 5 local households year round. Our model has been successfully replicated into four mini co-ops, fueling a larger vision of a sustainable food hub in this area.
Lodestar Loft Farm Experience
Stay at our top-rated Airbnb retreat. Rejuvenate your creativity through stillness, simplicity, & the breathtaking views of high-desert beauty.
On-Site Ceramics Studio
Stewarded by local master ceramics instructor Ra, we have helped many groups of local students cultivate creativity and a closer relationship to the earth through clay ever since our first kiln firing in 2014.
Free Consultations & Tours
We offer consultations for anyone looking to create a sustainable food village in their immediate area. Reach out to schedule a call or tour today.
Hillside Farmers Market
After years of selling our fresh, chemical-free produce to recreational markets, we’ve created a seasonal farmers market for our village right in Apache County.
Retreats
We host spiritual, creative, and detox retreats during our Winter off-season, after the 3-season Homesteading Apprenticeship Program ends.
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