Schedule Bevin to speak at your conference or event
Bevin Cohen (Ben) is an award winning author, herbalist, owner of Small House Farm and host of the popular Seeds & Weeds podcast. He lives and works at Small House Farm with his wife, Heather, and two sons, Elijah and Anakin, on their family homestead in Sanford, Michigan.
Bevin offers workshops and lectures across the country on the benefits of living closer to the land through seeds, herbs, and locally grown food. He is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in numerous publications including Mother Earth News, Hobby Farms Magazine, and The Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company Catalog. He is the author of four books, including Saving Our Seeds and The Artisan Herbalist.
The Cohen family grows seed crops, herbs and flowers and also keeps a small flock of laying hens. Bevin is also the founder of Michigan Seed Library, a community seed sharing initiative that has worked closely with a number of communities to help establish seed library programs across his home state and beyond.
Booking Inquiries – Contact Bevin at (989) 708-0549 or Email SmallHouseFarm@gmail.com
Testimonials
“If the idea of saving seeds sounds boring, Ben Cohen will surprise you with a remarkably entertaining talk.”
Dennis R.
“One of the funniest, smartest and most interesting people I’ve ever had the privilege of learning from.”
Lisa S.
“Bevin’s enthusiasm is contagious! His ability to connect and engage all types of audiences makes him a crowd favorite!”
Joyce P.
“Bevin’s exuberance and experience combine to create an engaging and educational event. Any audience will be highly entertained by his humor and energy!”
Jim W.
Popular Presentaions
Available in-person or virtual
These can be customized to fit your group or events needs. Just let us know what you are looking for and Bevin would be happy to customize a workshop for you.
Grow Great Vegetables
Discover how to plan, plant and grow your most productive garden ever! Learn from Bevin’s decades of growing experience, including tips on soil health, seed starting and transplanting, mulching and weeding and when to harvest your perfect produce, flowers and herbs! Bring your garden questions and get ready to grow great vegetables!
Making Teas, Tinctures & Oils [ at home ]
Learn how to create salves, balms, and tinctures using herbs that you can grow in your own backyard. A great presentation for gardeners and herb enthusiasts looking to take their herbal passion to the next level! Bevin will share his decades of experience as an herbalist guiding participants through the many processes involved in crafting a wide range of herbal products for health, wellness and beauty.
The Art of Herbal Tea
Blend, brew and enjoy an irresistible selection of herbal teas while Bevin shares his knowledge on the history and folklore of the various herbal ingredients. Document your impressions of each herb’s aroma and flavor as we explore the various layers of a well-crafted herbal tea. Create a custom herbal tea to enjoy at home with an optional make and take activity!
Wildcrafted Herbs and Cold Pressed Oils
Working with herbs from one’s own bioregion opens the door to Nature’s abundance, aiding the herbalist in crafting exceptional health and beauty products. Learn more about Bevin’s small-scale seed and nut oil production business and how his focus on locally crafted ingredients became his recipe for success!
A Pressing Matter: Small Scale Seed and Nut Oil Production
This informative session will cover a number of oilseed crops that can easily be grown on the homestead or farm for small-scale oil production. Bevin will discuss growing, foraging, harvesting and processing various seeds and nuts and will also explore equipment needs, proper storage as well as various uses for the freshly pressed oils.
Saving and Sharing Seeds
Sharing our heirloom garden seeds is the cornerstone of any localized food movement. Attendees will learn all about seed libraries and seed swaps and how to organize and maintain these important programs for their communities. From material lists and organizational best-practices to programing, marketing and securing volunteers, Bevin breaks down the steps to building a sustainable seed community.
Seed Saving 101
Learn the basics of this traditional skill through a blend of hands-on demonstration and lecture. This presentation is fully customizable depending on your needs and can be a one-hour indoor demonstration or a multiple hour, fully immersive experience.
Contact us for 2023/2024 Bookings
Past Audiences
Bevin has given hundreds of lectures at many notable conferences, festivals, seminars and events including presentations for Master Gardener Associations, Public Libraries, Garden Clubs, Colleges and Universities. Some highlights include:
Mother Earth News Fair
Herb Society of America
Seed Savers Exchange Decorah, IA
Michigan Library Association Conference
Slow Food USA
Baker Creek Spring Festival Mansfield, MO
International Herb Association
National Heirloom Expo, Santa Rosa, CA
Heartwood Herb Gathering, Ontario Canada
Organic Association of Kentucky Conference
University of North Carolina
West Virginia University
Purdue Small Farm Conference
