What ensues—through hilarious encounters with all manner of livestock and colorful local characters—is a crash course in sustainable agriculture. Pritchard’s biggest ally is his renegade father, who initially questions his son’s career choice and eschews organic foods for sugary mainstream fare. But just when the farm starts to turn heads at local markets, his father’s health takes a turn for the worse. With poetry and humor, this timely memoir tugs on the heartstrings and feeds the soul long after the last page is turned.

    The site is a terraced paradise on a hillside in Vermont that would otherwise be overlooked by conventional farmers as unworthy farmland. Falk's wide array of fruit trees, rice paddies(relatively unheard of in the Northeast), ducks, nuts, and earth-inspired buildings is a hopeful image for the future of regenerative agriculture and modern homesteading.The book covers nearly every strategy Falk and his team have been testing at the Whole Systems Research Farm over the past decade, as well as experiments from other sites Falk has designed through his off-farm consulting business. The book includes detailed information on earthworks; gravity-fed water systems; species composition; the site-design process; site management; fuelwood hedge production and processing; human health and nutrient-dense production strategies; rapid topsoil formation and remineralization; agroforestry/silvopasture/grazing; ecosystem services, especially regarding flood mitigation; fertility management; human labor and social-systems aspects; tools/equipment/appropriate technology; and much more, complete with gorgeous photography and detailed design drawings."The Resilient Homestead" is more than just a book of tricks and techniques for regenerative site development, but offers actual working results in living within complex farm-ecosystems based on research from the "great thinkers" in permaculture, and presents a viable home-scale model for an intentional food-producing ecosystem in cold climates, and beyond. Inspiring to would-be homesteaders everywhere, but especially for those who find themselves with "unlikely" farming land, Falk is an inspiration in what can be done by imitating natural systems, and making the most of what we have by re-imagining what's possible. A gorgeous case study for the homestead of the future.

    Every single human society that has relied on annual crops for staple foods has collapsed. Restoration Agriculture explains how we can have all of the benefits of natural, perennial ecosystems and create agricultural systems that imitate nature in form and function while still providing for our food, building, fuel and many other needs - in your own backyard, farm or ranch. This book, based on real-world practices, presents an alternative to the agriculture system of eradication and offers exciting hope for our future.

    Increasingly disillusioned by mainstream medicine's mechanistic approach to healing and fascinated by the farming revolution that is changing the way we think about our relationship to the earth, Miller left her medical office and traveled to seven innovative family farms around the country, on a quest to discover the hidden connections between how we care for our bodies and how we grow our food. Farmacology, the remarkable book that emerged from her travels, offers us a compelling new vision for sustainable health and healing—and a wealth of farm-to-body lessons with immense value in our daily lives.Miller begins her journey with a pilgrimage to the Kentucky homestead of renowned author and farming visionary Wendell Berry. Over the course of the following year, she travels to a biodynamic farm in Washington state, a ranch in the Ozarks, two chicken farms in Arkansas, a winery in California, a community garden in the Bronx, and finally an aromatic herb farm back in Washington. While learning from forward-thinking farmers, Miller explores such compelling questions as: What can rejuvenating depleted soil teach us about rejuvenating ourselves? How can a grazing system on a ranch offer valuable insights into raising resilient children? What can two laying-hen farms teach us about stress management? How do vineyard pest-management strategies reveal a radically new approach to cancer care? What are the unexpected ways that urban agriculture can transform the health of a community? How can an aromatic herb farm unlock the secret to sustainable beauty?Throughout, Miller seeks out the perspectives of noted biomedical scientists and artfully weaves in their insights and research, along with stories from her own medical practice. The result is a profound new approach to healing, combined with practical advice for how to treat disease and maintain wellness.

    From creating the right pre-slaughter conditions to killing, skinning, keeping cold, breaking the meat down, and creating cuts of meat you’ll recognize from the market, Danforth walks you through every step, leaving nothing to chance. He also covers food safety, freezing and packaging, and tools and equipment. This comprehensive reference is the only guide you need to successfully, safely, and humanely slaughter and butcher your own animals.

    Monthly planting guides show exactly what you can do in the garden from January through December. The skill sets go beyond the basics with tutorials on seed saving, worm bins, and more. This must-have book is for gardeners in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

    But despite his lack of recognition, Mr. Hennen...has simply gone about his calling with humility and gratitude in a culture whose primary crop has become fame. He just watches, waits and then strikes, delivering heart-buckling lines.” —Dana Jennings, The New York Times"As with Ted Kooser, Tom Hennen is a genius of the common touch. . . . They are amazingly modest men who early accepted poetry as a calling in ancient terms and never let up despite being ignored early on. They return to the readers a thousandfold for their attentions."—Jim Harrison, from the introduction"Many readers will appreciate this evocation of a life not as commonly portrayed in contemporary verse."—Library Journal"There is something of the ancient Chinese poets in Hennen, of Clare and Thoreau, although he is very much a contemporary poet."—Willow Springs"One of the most charming things about Tom Hennen's poems is his strange ability to bring immense amounts of space, often uninhabited space, into his mind and so into the whole poem."—Robert Bly"America is a country that loves its advertising. That loves its boxes we can put people and places into. We love 'Heartland' as opposed to 'Dustbowl.' We also love to be surprised. Rural Minnesota, as written by Tom Hennen in Darkness Sticks to Everything, is a world of realistic loneliness and lessons. It’s a collection of sincere poems about man and the land."—The Rumpus"Hennen is a master of the prose poem [who] can take little details, tiny details and make them universal."—River Falls Journal"What separates Hennen from many of his contemporaries is his willingness to identify with the natural world in a way that feels neither possessive nor self-serving, but simply (once again) sincere."—Basalt Magazine"There is something strong in all Tom Hennen's poems, an awareness and a clear, sure voice... I don't usually want to end by saying 'Buy this book,' but I'm going to say it this time: 'You should buy this book.'"—Fleda Brown, Interlochen Public Radio, "Michigan Writers on the Air"Tom Hennen gives voice to the prairie and to rural communities, celebrating—with sadness, praise, and astute observations—the land, weather, and inhabitants. In short lyrics and prose poems, he reveals the detailed strangeness of ordinary things. Gathered from six chapbooks that were regionally distributed, this volume is Hennen's long-overdue introduction to a national audience. Includes an introduction by Jim Harrison and an afterword by Thomas R. Smith."In Falling Snow at a Farm Auction"Straight pine chairComfortableIn anyone's company,Older than grandmotherIt enters the presentIts arms wide openWanting to hold another young wife.Tom Hennen, author of six books of poetry, was born and raised in rural Minnesota. After abandoning college, he married and began work as a letterpress and offset printer. He helped found the Minnesota Writer's Publishing House, then worked for the Department of Natural Resources wildlife section, and later at the Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge in South Dakota. Now retired, he lives in Minnesota.

    In Teaming with Nutrients, Jeff Lowenfels explains the basics of plant nutrition from an organic gardener’s perspective. In his trademark down-to-earth, style, Lowenfels explains the role of both macronutrients and micronutrients and shows gardeners how to provide these essentials through organic, easy-to-follow techniques. Along the way, Lowenfels provides easy-to-grasp lessons in the biology, chemistry, and botany needed to understand how nutrients get into  the plant and what they do once they’re inside.

    And with the growing interest in locally grown and artisanal foods, many new cideries are springing up all over North America, often started up by passionate amateurs who want to take their cider to the next level as small-scale craft producers.To make the very best cider--whether for yourself, your family, and friends or for market--you first need a deep understanding of the processes involved, and the art and science behind them. Fortunately, The New Cider Maker's Handbook is here to help. Author Claude Jolicoeur is an internationally known, award-winning cider maker with an inquiring, scientific mind. His book combines the best of traditional knowledge and techniques with up-to-date, scientifically based practices to provide today's cider makers with all the tools they need to produce high-quality ciders.The New Cider Maker's Handbook is divided into five parts containing:An accessible overview of the cider making process for beginners;Recommendations for selecting and growing cider-appropriate apples;Information on juice-extraction equipment and directions on how to build your own grater mill and cider press;A discussion of the most important components of apple juice and how these may influence the quality of the cider;An examination of the fermentation process and a description of methods used to produce either dry or naturally sweet cider, still or sparkling cider, and even ice cider.This book will appeal to both serious amateurs and professional cider makers who want to increase their knowledge, as well as to orchardists who want to grow cider apples for local or regional producers. Novices will appreciate the overview of the cider-making process, and, as they develop skills and confidence, the more in-depth technical information will serve as an invaluable reference that will be consulted again and again. This book is sure to become the definitive modern work on cider making.A mechanical engineer by profession, Claude Jolicoeur first developed his passion for apples and cider after acquiring a piece of land on which there were four rows of old abandoned apple trees. He started making cider in 1988 using a "no-compromise" approach, stubbornly searching for the highest possible quality. Since then, his ciders have earned many awards and medals at competitions, including a Best of Show at the prestigious Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition (GLINTCAP).Claude actively participates in discussions on forums like the Cider Digest, and is regularly invited as a guest speaker to events such as the annual Cider Days festival in western Massachusetts. He lives in Quebec City.

    In this straightforward guide, Adam Danforth provides clear instructions and step-by-step photography of the entire butchering process, from creating the right preslaughter conditions through killing, skinning, keeping cold, breaking the meat down, and perfecting expert cuts. With plenty of encouragement and expert advice on food safety, packaging, and necessary equipment, this comprehensive guide has all the information you need to start butchering your own beef.

    A growing number of market gardeners are emerging to feed our appetite for organic, regional produce. But most of the available resources on food production are aimed at the backyard or hobby gardener who wants to supplement their family's diet with a few homegrown fruits and vegetables. Targeted at serious growers in every climate zone, Sustainable Market Farming is a comprehensive manual for small-scale farmers raising organic crops sustainably on a few acres.Informed by the author's extensive experience growing a wide variety of fresh, organic vegetables and fruit to feed the approximately one hundred members of Twin Oaks Community in central Virginia, this practical guide provides:Detailed profiles of a full range of crops, addressing sowing, cultivation, rotation, succession, common pests and diseases, and harvest and storageInformation about new, efficient techniques, season extension, and disease resistant varietiesFarm-specific business skills to help ensure a successful, profitable enterpriseWhether you are a beginning market grower or an established enterprise seeking to improve your skills, Sustainable Market Farming is an invaluable resource and a timely book for the maturing local agriculture movement.Pam Dawling is a contributing editor with Growing for Market magazine. An avid vegetable grower, she has been farming as a member of Twin Oaks Community in central Virginia for over twenty years, where she helps grow food for around one hundred people on three and a half acres, and provides training in sustainable vegetable production.

    Incorporating dairy goats as the centerpiece of a diversified homestead can be the key to achieving this goal, and Raising Goats Naturally will show you how.By working with nature, you can raise dairy goats and produce your own milk, cheese, meat, fertilizer, leather, fiber, and soap—all without relying on drugs or following the factory farm model. By observing your own animals closely and educating yourself about their specific needs, you can create an individualized plan for keeping them healthy and maximizing their productivity. This unique, fully-illustrated guide will teach you to help your herd thrive with:breed-specific descriptions to help you choose the right goats for your goals and lifestyledetailed information on housing, fencing, breeding, health, milking, and nutritioncomplete recipes and instructions for making your own cheese, dairy products, and soap, as well as cooking with goat meatPacked with personal experiences backed up by expert veterinary advice and scientific studies, Raising Goats Naturally brings together a wealth of practical information on raising goats for the love of it and using their milk and meat to become more self-reliant.Deborah Niemann is a homesteader, writer, and self-sufficiency expert who has raised livestock for over ten years. The author of Homegrown and Handmade and Ecothrifty, she presents extensively on skills for living a self-reliant life.

    With advice on everything from selecting a breed and choosing the best incubator to feeding and caring for newborn chicks in a brooder, this comprehensive guide also covers issues like embryo development, panting chicks, and a variety of common birth defects. Whether you want to hatch three eggs or one hundred, you’ll find all the information you need to make your poultry-raising operation a success.

    From rural outposts to city streets, they are sowing, growing, selling, and eating food produced close to home--and they are crying out for agricultural reform. All this has made "local food" into everything from a movement buzzword to the newest darling of food trendsters.But now it's time to take the conversation to the next level. That's exactly what Philip Ackerman-Leist does in Rebuilding the Foodshed, in which he refocuses the local-food lens on the broad issue of rebuilding regional food systems that can replace the destructive aspects of industrial agriculture, meet food demands affordably and sustainably, and be resilient enough to endure potentially rough times ahead.Changing our foodscapes raises a host of questions. How far away is local? How do you decide the size and geography of a regional foodshed? How do you tackle tough issues that plague food systems large and small--issues like inefficient transportation, high energy demands, and rampant food waste? How do you grow what you need with minimum environmental impact? And how do you create a foodshed that's resilient enough if fuel grows scarce, weather gets more severe, and traditional supply chains are hampered?Showcasing some of the most promising, replicable models for growing, processing, and distributing sustainably grown food, this book points the reader toward the next stages of the food revolution. It also covers the full landscape of the burgeoning local-food movement, from rural to suburban to urban, and from backyard gardens to large-scale food enterprises.

    And there is a vast world of varieties that goes beyond the common grocery store offerings of Red Delicious and Granny Smith. With names like American Beauty, Carter’s Blue, and Fallawater, and flavors ranging from sweet to tart, this treasure trove of unique apples is ripe for discovery. There is no better guide through this tasty world than Tom Burford, whose family has grown apples in the Blue Ridge Mountains since 1715. The book is brimming with beautiful portraits of heirloom and modern apples of merit, each accompanied by distinguishing characteristics and common uses. As the view broadens to the orchard, you will find information on planting, pruning, grafting, and more. The exploration of the apple culminates with an overview of the fruit’s transformative capabilities when pressed, fermented, cooked, or dried. Beyond the polished and predictable grocery store display of Red Delicious and Granny Smith apples, a feast of beautiful and uniquely flavored North American varieties awaits the curious.

    Department of Agriculture.

    The store’s resident cheese blogger, Madame Fromage, brings to life 170 of the world’s greatest artisan cheeses, drawing on stories and knowledge from the store’s third-generation owners.The book offers 30 recipes, from Cheddar Ale Soup to Rogue River Sushi, along with a dairy lexicon, notes on how to taste cheese, and a variety of themed boards: a Fireside Party, an All-Goat Blow-Out, and a selection of Desk Bento. Beautiful four-color photographs serve to put names with wheels and wedges of cheese.

    In just five months, a 30-pound shoat will become a 250-pound hog and provide you with 100 pounds of pork, including tenderloin, ham, ribs, bacon, sausage, and more. For anyone who wants to raise a pig for meat in a backyard or on a small farm, this comprehensive guide explains exactly how to do it, humanely and safely. Livestock expert Sue Weaver covers everything from selecting a breed with great flavor and bringing your shoat home to feeding, housing, fencing, health care, and humane processing.

    This toxic legacy impacts the environment, our health, our watersheds, and land that could otherwise be used to grow healthy local food and medicines. Conventional clean-up techniques employed by government and industry are tremendously expensive and resource-intensive and can cause further damage. More and more communities find themselves increasingly unable to rely on those companies and governments who created the problems to step in and provide solutions.Earth Repair describes a host of powerful grassroots bioremediation techniques, including:Microbial remediation—using microorganisms to break down and bind contaminantsPhytoremediation—using plants to extract, bind, and transform toxinsMycoremediation—using fungi to clean up contaminated soil and waterPacked with valuable, firsthand information from visionaries in the field, Earth Repair empowers communities and individuals to take action and heal contaminated and damaged land. Encompassing everything from remediating and regenerating abandoned city lots for urban farmers and gardeners to recovering from environmental disasters and industrial catastrophes such as oil spills and nuclear fallout, this fertile toolbox is essential reading for anyone who wishes to transform environmental despair into constructive action.Leila Darwish is a community organizer, urban gardener, and permaculture designer with a focus on using grassroots bioremediation to address environmental justice issues in communities struggling with toxic contamination of their land and drinking water.

    For this book he has visited indigenous and traditional farmers in the Gobi Desert, the Arabian Peninsula, the Sahara Desert, and Andalusia, as well as the Sonoran, Chihuahuan, and Painted deserts of North America, to learn firsthand their techniques and designs aimed at reducing heat and drought stress on orchards, fields, and dooryard gardens. This practical book also includes colorful "parables from the field" that exemplify how desert farmers think about increasing the carrying capacity and resilience of the lands and waters they steward. It is replete with detailed descriptions and diagrams of how to implement these desert-adapted practices in your own backyard, orchard, or farm.This unique book is useful not only for farmers and permaculturists in the arid reaches of the Southwest or other desert regions. Its techniques and prophetic vision for achieving food security in the face of climate change may well need to be implemented across most of North America over the next half-century, and are already applicable in most of the semiarid West, Great Plains, and the U.S. Southwest and adjacent regions of Mexico.

    When young people can't get in, old people can't get out. Approaching a watershed moment, our culture desperately needs a generational transfer of millions of farm acres facing abandonment, development, or amalgamation into ever-larger holdings. Based on his decades of experience with interns and multigenerational partnerships at Polyface Farm, farmer and author Joel Salatin digs deep into the problems and solutions surrounding this land- and knowledge-transfer crisis. This book empowers aspiring young farmers, midlife farmers, and nonfarming landlords to build regenerative, profitable agricultural enterprises.

    Deb has taken her twenty-five-plus years as a professional medicinal plant gardener and her life-time love of the earth and the plant people, and come up with something very special.This is a must-have book for anyone interested in gardening or the plant people. I promise you this book will be well read, well worn, and well loved. --Karyn Sanders, Blue Otter School of Herbal Medicine"Deb Soule is overflowing with the healing wisdom of the plant world distilled through many years of study, experience and observation. Her reverence and respect for nature and deep intuitive capacities are evident in every page of this book. What a gift! --Robert Karp, Director of the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Assocoation"Way beyond food, flowers, or medicine .... here is gardening as the mindful rhythm in harmony with all living souls." --C.R. Lawn, FEDCO Seeds"Herbalist Deb Soule offers the reader a beautifully written, heart-centered gardening book that reads as much like a prayer as it does a practical guide for all gardeners, new and experienced; sure to awaken and inspire one to explore creative ways of tending the rich life held in a well-loved garden. The author shares wisdom gleaned through years of cultivating not only soil and plants, but also her research and work with the pollinators, biodynamic practices and favorite tools used in growing simple herbal remedies to nourish the gardener as they heal the Earth. Honoring traditions, ancestors and the sacredness of carrying on the work of the wise herbalists that came before us, Deb reminds us of the blessing of being called to this work!" --Kate Gilday, Herbalist, Woodland Essence"The reader will find this book endowed with glorious offerings of rich nectar. It makes me want to go out and turn the compost pile." --Richo Ceck, Horizon HerbsContentsA gardener's Notebook Biodynamics: Agriculture i Service of the Earth and Humanity Living in Harmony with the Seasons Energetic and Elemental Associations of Plant Parts Growing, Harvesting, and Using Medicinal Herbs

    He could have hardly anticipated that he would spend the next decade laboring up and down the agricultural valleys of California, alongside the anonymous and largely immigrant workforce that feeds the nation. This account of his journey begins at a remarkable moment, after the birth of the United Farm Workers union and the ensuing uptick in worker militancy. As a participant in organizing efforts, strikes, and boycotts, Neuburger saw first-hand the struggles of farmworkers for better wages and working conditions, and the lengths the growers would go to suppress worker unity.Part memoir, part informed commentary on farm labor, the U.S. labor movement, and the political economy of agriculture, Lettuce Wars is a lively account written from the perspective of the fields. Neuburger portrays the people he encountered--immigrant workers, fellow radicals, company bosses, cops and goons--vividly and indelibly, lending a human aspect to the conflict between capital and labor as it played out in the fields of California.

    Our lives are dependent upon the soil and we flourish when we live in this reality. Unfortunately, we have been a part of a centuries-long push to build a new tower of Babel—an attempt to escape our basic dependence on the dirt. This escape has resulted in ecological disaster, unhealthy bodies, and broken communities. In answer to this denial, a habit of mind formed from working close with the soil offers us a way of thinking and seeing that enables us to see the world as it really is. This way of thinking is called agrarianism. In Cultivating Reality, Ragan Sutterfield guides us through the agrarian habit of mind and shows Christians how a theological return to the soil will enliven us again to the joys of creatureliness.

    The animosity is everywhere; from initiatives popping up left, right, and center to label'em, ban'em, or warn the public. The media overplays the reports and plays into the deft game of extrapolating far beyond what the science says as well as ignoring expert opinion on what the science actually implies.The Lowdown on GMOs: According to Science is THE book on GMOs intended to counter the rampant fallacious thinking and destructive activism permeating the biotech discussion based on little more than anecdote and ideology. Featuring the writings of public scientists, plant pathologists, renowned authors, farmers, science writers, professors, and journalists, they answer the hard questions asked of GMOs with elegance, ease, and evidence.This is a book for those who want to know what the science actually says, where the evidence actually leads and the potential implications radiating from our actions."It's hard to find this level of quality discussion on this topic around the internet, where murky misinforming fear-mongers overwhelm the discussions." ~ Mary Mangan, PhD, President and co-founder of OpenHelix LLC

    Market Farming Success identifies the key areas that usually trip up beginners--and shows how to avoid those obstacles. This book will help the aspiring or beginning farmer advance quickly and confidently through the inevitable learning curve of starting a new business. Written by the editor of Growing for Market, a respected trade journal for market farmers, Market Farming Success condenses decades of growing experience from every part of the United States and Canada. It focuses on the factors that are common to market gardeners everywhere and offers professional advice that includes: - How much you'll need to spend to start a market farming business; - How much you can expect to earn; - Which crops bring in the most money--and whether you should grow them; - The essential tools and equipment you will need; - The best places to sell your products; - How to keep records to maximize profits and minimize taxes; - Tricks of the trade that will make you more efficient in the greenhouse, field, and market. This new Chelsea Green edition of a 2006 classic is greatly updated and expanded, and includes full-color photos, charts, and graphs, plus many inspiring and instructive profiles of successful market-farming pioneers.

    This comprehensive work incorporates valuable information on ecological forest management, value-added products, and the most up-to-date techniques on sap collection and processing. It is, most importantly, a guide to an integrated sugaring operation, interconnected to the whole-farm system, woodland, and community. Farrell documents the untapped potential of American forests and shows how sugaring can turn a substantial profit for farmers while providing tremendous enjoyment and satisfaction. Michael Farrell, sugarmaker and director of the Uihlein Forest at Cornell University, offers information on setting up and maintaining a viable sugaring business by incorporating the wisdom of traditional sugarmaking with the value of modern technology (such as reverse-osmosis machines and vacuum tubing). He gives a balanced view of the industry while offering a realistic picture of how modern technology can be beneficial, from both an economic and an environmental perspective. Within these pages, readers will find if syrup production is right for them (and on what scale), determine how to find trees for tapping, learn the essentials of sap collection, the art and science of sugarmaking, and how to build community through syrup production. There are many more unique aspects to this book that set it apart from anything else on the market, including: - A focus on maple as a local, sustainably produced and healthy alternative to corn syrup and other highly processed and artificial sweeteners; - The health benefits of sap and syrup in North America and throughout the world; - Attention to the questions of organic certification, sugarhouse registration, and the new international grading system; - Enhancing diversity in the sugarbush and interplanting understory crops for value-added products (ginseng, goldenseal, and mushrooms, specifically); - An economic analysis of utilizing maple trees for syrup or sawtimber production and the market opportunities for taphole maple lumber; - The value of sap as a healthful and profitable energy drink; - Detailed analyses on the economics of buying and selling sap; - Lots of great information on marketing to create a profitable business model (based on scale, interest, and access), and more. . . . Applicable for a wide range of climates and regions, this book is sure to change the conversation around syrup production and prove invaluable for both home-scale and commercial sugarmakers alike.

    From the early-eighteenth century, settlers moved to the semi-arid but fertile grasslands from wetter, forested regions in central and northern Russia and Ukraine, and from central Europe. By the late-nineteenth century, they hadturned the steppes into the bread basket of the Russian Empire and parts of Europe. But there was another side to this story. The steppe region was hit by recurring droughts, winds from the east whipped up dust storms, the fertile black earth suffered severe erosion, crops failed, and in the worstyears there was famine.David Moon analyses how naturalists and scientists came to understand the steppe environment, including the origins of the fertile black earth. He also analyses how scientists tried to understand environmental change, including climate change. Farmers, and the scientists who advised them, trieddifferent ways to deal with the recurring droughts: planting trees, irrigation, and cultivating the soil. More sustainable, however, were techniques of cultivation to retain scarce moisture in the soil. Among the pioneers were Mennonite settlers. Such approaches aimed to work with the environment, rather than trying to change it by planting trees or supplying more water artificially.The story is similar to the Dust Bowl on the Great Plains of the USA, which share a similar environment and environmental history. David Moon places the story of the steppes in the wider context of the environmental history of European colonialism around the globe.

    The book broadens its focus to general farming, as author Jacqueline Dougan Jackson describes the start and development of hybrid seed corn and artificial breeding on her family’s farm.

    Horses bring farmers back to the roots of what it means to work the land and present a viable model for a small farm that lasts, while offering enjoyment for the whole family. This is the first book of its kind, offering wisdom and techniques for using horse power on the small farm or homestead, from longtime horse farmer Stephen Leslie."The New Horse-Powered Farm" sets the stage for incorporating draft power on the farm by presenting tips on getting started with horses, care of the work horse, different horse-training systems, and the merits of different draft breeds. The novice teamster is introduced to the basic tools of horse-drawn tillage and cultivation used for profitable horse-powered farming, with a spotlight on whole-farm management, as well as information on haying with horses, raising small grains, managing the woodlot, farm education, agritourism, and more.Incorporated throughout are profiles of more than a half-dozen farms that epitomize some exciting new trends in agriculture and highlight the new and old horse-drawn equipment used for profitable market gardening, including contributions directly from the farmers about what works and what doesn't. The novice teamster is introduced to the specifics of horse-drawn tillage and cultivation of the market garden, and using horses in the woodland. Recent studies on the economics of horse-powered market gardening and a comparison between horse-, human-, and tractor-powered systems have been included to help round out the picture. The resources section lists contact info for teamster schools, books, draft-animal publications, annual events, equipment manufacturers, parts and repairs, and more. A must-have for any farmer, homesteader, or teamster seeking to work with draft power in a closed-loop farming system.

    They have shown that agribusiness can be successful, profitable and, above all, rewarding...

    I, is a compilation of his articles first published in the Macon County Chronicle and is influenced by countless years of organic and biodynamic farming. Comparable to curling up with your old Mother Earth News magazines, this book covers it all. Homesteading self-sufficiency through the year, from seeds to harvest, and everything that can happen along the way. You will enjoy reading and re-reading this book of old-time wisdom from the Barefoot Farmer.Coree White Entwistle comments, “The Barefoot Farmer takes each reader on a tour of the farm, its seasons, its work, and its wonderful produce (including a few home-style recipes). Charming drawings of important biodynamic herbs open each chapter, and most essays are accented with more original artwork (by Linda Johnson) , drawn from the Long Hungry Creek Farm. Read it cover to cover, use it as a garden inspiration and reference, or just open it at random to get a taste of Tennessee homestead goodness, wherever you are.Harvey C. Lisle comments, “As you read the pages of this book you can picture yourself on a farm teeming with life. The farm, the experiences related to the farm and the food produced on the farm will all bring pleasures most people are not privileged to have. It is still true that it is the land which sustains us and Jeff deals with this subject beautifully.”

    Some are now teaching in various state and private colleges and universities.This book is intended as teaching material for an undergraduate course in agricultural policy. It contextualizes agricultural policy in terms of the interrelationships of the agricultural sector with the rest of the macro and global economies. The specific policies include land/agrarian reform, fertilizer and seed subsidies, and other concerns in the context of trade and industrial protection, irrigation, and mechanization. Policies related to credit in support of farming activities, as well as research and development to increase production possibilities for farmers, are also discussed. The book also introduces topics on food safety issues, environmental concerns, and quantitative analytical tools to encourage students to explore advanced aspects of agricultural policy.

    For the full color version of the book, please take a look at the book's first edition.Does a garden that requires little work, saves you money and protects the environment sound good? Would you also like a garden that’s healthy and thriving year round? Then Going Native is for you. This second edition of Going Native presents all the same great information as the first edition, but in black and white format to make adding this valuable source to your gardening library more affordable. Going Native will show you how small changes in the plants you choose can create a healthier garden that’s easy and inexpensive to maintain, benefits the environment, conserves resources and protects your area’s native species. Going Native will... * Guide you through the benefits of going native, * Provide tips on how to plan your native garden, * Teach you where to obtain native plants, and * Step you through getting your native garden off to the best start possible. In addition to this, Going Native will teach you the basics of eco-friendly gardening such as... * Controlling invasive species, * Going chemical free, * Dealing with pests and weeds, * Understanding soil type, * Rethinking your lawn, * Attracting wildlife, and more. To give you ideas of plants you can invite into your native garden, Going Native also includes a list of native plants for several regions across the U.S. and Canada, including Alaska and Hawaii. Going Native also features over 80 photos of native plants across the U.S. and Canada. Although Going Native is written with gardeners from the U.S. and Canada in mind, gardeners around the world can use Going Native’s tips and information to create a healthy, low maintenance garden. So, if you’re ready for a healthier garden, it’s time to go native. TABLE OF CONTENTS To give you an idea of what you'll find in Going Native, please peruse the Table of Contents. * Introduction * A Note on Images * What is a Native Garden? * The Benefits of Going Native * Soil Matters * Going Native * Planting Time * Natives in Containers * Caring for Natives * Re-Thinking Chemicals * Dealing with Pests and Weeds * Wildlife in the Garden * Looking at Lawns * Hawaii: A Special Place APPENDIX * Plant List: Native Plants by Region * The Most Invasive of the Invasives * Gardens to Visit * Resources

    These units can be funded, built, and used by a community of small farmers, or you can develop one by yourself and use it as part of a business. This book covers the mechanics of constructing the unit, government regulations, the permitting process, sanitation, safety, and more.

    Weaver covers absolutely everything beginners need to know to keep sheep safe, healthy, and maximally productive.

    Spiritual properties and personality traits of the plants are presented, as well as a smattering of astrological influence, gemmotherapy, herbal-drug interactions and precise preparations from various plant parts.

    Little is known, however, about the effect of radioactive fallout on agriculture, information about which is vital. Although more than 80% of the damaged area is related to agriculture, in situ information specifically for agriculture is scarce. This book provides data about the actual movement and accumulation of radioactivity in the ecological system—for example, whether debris deposited on mountains can be a cause of secondary contamination, under what conditions plants accumulate radioactive cesium in their edible parts, and how radioactivity is transferred from hay to milk. Because agriculture is so closely related to nature, many specialists with different areas of expertise must be involved in answering these questions. In the case of rice, researchers in rice cultivation as well as in soil, hydrology, and radioactivity measurement are working together to reveal the paths or accumulation of radioactivity in the field. For this purpose, the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences of The University of Tokyo has diverse facilities available throughout Japan, including farmlands, forests, and meadowlands. Many academic staff members have formed groups to conduct on-site research, with more than 40 volunteers participating. This book presents the data collected from the only project being systematically carried out across Japan after the Fukushima accident.

    

    Jeff Poppen’s enthusiasm for local food stems from 35+ years of organic farming. Modern methods and old-time wisdom merge in this informative, yet highly readable book. Let him inspire you to grow and make that deeper connection to self-sustaining foods from lovingly enriched soils. Chapter 3 - Laying the Garden By - "It's the thousands of different species of underground life forms that make the soil what I call intelligent or sensitive. They remain dormant until needed. They wake up when their particular food source is present. What do they eat? Microbes live on root exudates, the stuff that sloughs off of roots as they grow. They insure their specific food source thrives." Chapter 7 - We Can Grow All Our Own Food - "The huge movement of conscious people making a change in American agriculture excites me, especially the amount of young people getting involved. If the USDA food programs in schools, prisons, hospitals, and welfare change to organic, then many of our country's abandoned farms and rural ghost towns will spring to life. When folks refuse corporate food, small farms will sprout and food will be abundant. Gardens can be easily grown, and there will be no lack of good things to eat. I not only think we can feed ourselves and each other, I know we can." Enjoy the many Rudolf Steiner quotes: “I grew up entirely out of the peasant folk, and in my spirit have always remained there. As I look back on my own life, I must say the most valuable farmer is not the large farmer, but the small peasant farmer who himself as a little boy worked on the farm. In my life this will serve me far more than anything I have subsequently undertaken. I have always considered what the peasants and farmers thought about their things far wiser than what the scientists were thinking.”

    This book presents an organic way of knowing modeled after the way plants live.When we slow down, turn our attention to plants, study them carefully, and consciously internalize the way they live, a transformation begins. Our thinking becomes more fluid and dynamic; we realize how we are embedded in the world; we become sensitive and responsive to the contexts we meet; and we learn to thrive within a changing world. These are the qualities our culture needs in order to develop a more sustainable, life-supporting relation to our environment.While it is easy to talk about new paradigms and to critique our current state of affairs, it is not so easy to move beyond the status quo. That's why this book is crafted as a practical guide to developing a life-infused way of interacting with the world.

    He shows you how to keep the garden in production in cold months, practice succession planning for sowing and transplanting, plant cover crops, utilize homemade garden structures, and more.Even the most avid gardeners might be surprised to learn all the benefits of cool season gardening—the fact that it is often less work than summer gardening due to slower growth and less maintenance, or the seasonal bonus of having fewer pests. Not to mention that year-round gardening will create substantial savings on your food bill, while at the same time yielding fresh, homegrown produce on your table every month of the year. And Thorness wants you to know it's easier than you think!

    They are not separate. The ancient peoples understood that. They understood that human consciousness is woven in with the destiny and life of the Earth as a spiritual being. As a result they lived in a sacred manner. Their daily round was the stuff of a priesthood. They understood the relationship between the human and the divine by seeing the Earth as the mother and the sky as the father of humanity."It was just a given for them that nature was permeated by spiritual entities. However, that worldview had to evolve to the spot where we are today. Today the vast majority of people feel totally divorced from a real connection to the spiritual being of the Earth. The Earth primarily is a resource to be used. If you go tell your mother she is just a resource to be used, you have a lot of problems. My thesis is that the evolution of consciousness requires us to understand that our state of consciousness has an impact on the evolution of the Earth as a spiritual being." --Dennis KlocekDennis Klocek explores the essence of biodynamic agriculture, in particular the nature of inner development needed to utilize such methods effectively. He tells us that biodynamics requires constant self-development and an intimate knowledge of and relationship with the plants, animals, weather, earth, the preparations and much more.Based on numerous lectures presented to serious biodynamic gardeners, farmers, and winemakers, the author presents his views within a structure of Goethean observation, alchemical language, and the classic four elements, all based on the work of Rudolf Steiner and other pioneers in this field, as well as his own many years of interest in biodynamic methods, both conceptual and practical. This is not a book of recipes and how-to techniques, but a guidebook to the inner means of working with the elemental nature of the earth, showing ways to read in nature what is needed.