TBF 006 :: 10 Books for the Beginning Farmer, Farm Updates, and a Hard Lesson Learned

Over the years I've received quite a few e-mails from people wanting to pick my pea-sized farming brain. Usually when that happens I have two thoughts run through my mind ... #1 :: Have they ever read any of my blog posts, I even know what I'm doing half the time! #2 :: Don't farm ... it's not worth it! Thought number one is true no matter what ... and thought number two is something I only half mean. It's not that I want to discourage people from farming, but rather I think it is important to spend a lot of time considering what it really means to be a farmer. With all of that being said, I do love hearing from people that stumble on to the blog and want to ask a question.

On today's show I take some time to answer an e-mail from Patrick who asked one of the questions that I receive most often, "What books and websites would you suggest reading?" As an avid reader this is an easy question for me to answer. The biggest problem that I have when I think about this answer is whittling the list down a little bit to a manageable size. So, what I've done is come up with my "10 Books a Beginning Farmer Should Read". It should be noted that these books are coming from my livestock based background.

In no particular order here are my 10 favorites ... for the moment. I have also included links for each book if you are interested in purchasing them. These links are affiliate links, so if you are interested in one of the books and enjoy the show it does support the show a little.

• You Can Farm: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Start & Succeed in a Farming Enterprise by Joel Salatin (The very first farming book that I read ... and I've since read it more than once) -The Beginning Farmer blogs about Joel Salatin

• All Flesh is Grass: Pleasures and Promises of Pasture Farming by Gene Logsdon (A passionate call to pasture based agriculture) -The Beginning Farmer blogs about "All Flesh is Grass"

• The Contrary Farmer by Gene Logsdon (The yeoman farmer does not have to be a thing of the past) -The Beginning Farmer blogs about Gene Logsdon

• The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture by Wendell Berry (A great book for the person interested in the "culture" of agriculture) -The Beginning Farmer blogs about Wendell Berry

• The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan (Maybe controversial depending on your views, but I did take a lot away from it) -The Beginning Farmer blogs about "The Omnivore's Dilemma"

• Making Your Small Farm Profitable by Ron Macher (The nuts and bolts of beginning a farm) -The Beginning Farmer blogs about "Making Your Small Farm Profitable"

• Comeback Farms by Greg Judy (One book that I wish I would have read before I began farming) -The Beginning Farmer blogs about "Comeback Farms"

• Dirt Hog by Kelly Klober (Lots of knowledge ... maybe read this one after the next one on the list) -The Beginning Farmer blogs about "Dirt Hog"

• Small-Scale Pig Raising by Dirk Van Loon (Recommended by Walter Jeffries of Sugar Mountain Farm, that is enough of a reason to read it if you ask me) -The Beginning Farmer blogs about "Small-Scale Pig Raising"

• A Bountiful Harvest: The Midwestern Farm Photographs of Pete Wettach, 1925-1965 by Leslie A. Loveless (A book that I pick up when I need to be encouraged in my farming ventures)

Finally, this weeks "Hard Lesson Learned" has to do with that old adage ... "Don't always believe what you read." I'm not saying that all of those great authors I mentioned are wrong, but what I am saying is that all things don't work in all places and it probably would have been better if I would have tried to get some real world experience rather than just armchair experience!

As always, thank you so much to all of you who have taken the time to subscribe and listen to the show each week. I hope that I'm growing as a podcast producer and that as time goes along the show just gets better and better. If you do enjoy the show don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes (by clicking this link or the image on the left) or on the Stitcher App on your smartphone. For those of you that have taken the time to leave a review on iTunes ... thank you, thank you, thank you! It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show!

I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with The Beginning Farmer and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ...

• Crooked Gap Farm
• Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook
• Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

TBF Show 006 :: Play in a New Window | Right Click to Download

(if you are interested in the music in this episode check out my brother's record label, Historic Records)

Reading & Listening :: Books & Podcasts

If you happen to follow Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook you may have already heard about my stupid leg, but if you don't ... let me just say that I tore my achilles tendon making an explosive play on the softball field (and recording an out) over a month ago. Since the fateful game I've worn a splint for a couple of weeks preparing for surgery ... had surgery ... and now have been in a cast for two weeks with four more weeks to go. After that hopefully a walking cast (that is what the doc said) for maybe six weeks followed by physical therapy.

All of that introduction was to say this ... I have to spend more time sitting down than working on the farm and have recently been scouring iTunes and Amazon for things to listen to and read. So, I'm hopeful that there are still people reading this blog after nearly a year of missing posts because I could use any reading or listening suggestions you have. I'll do my part as well and share a few that I've enjoyed lately.

Books ...

• The Sheer Ecstasy of Being a Lunatic Farmer by Joel Salatin :: I've actually read this one in the past and have re-read it as well. You all may have heard of the author (sarcasm intended), but really it is a good read. As a side note I haven't read it yet, but have listened to a few podcast episodes feature Mr. Salatin discussing his new book Folks This Ain't Normal.
• Storey's Guide To Raising Rabbits by Bob Bennett :: Honestly this is my son's book, but since he started in the rabbit business this year I figured I should do some reading as well. Even though we are raising our rabbits outside on pasture this book covered a lot of basic information and at least gave me an idea of what I was getting into.

Podcasts ...

• Farm-Dreams.com Farmcast :: This one is hosted by Tim and Liz of Nature's Harmony Farm. During each podcast they discuss different items that have recently come up on the Farm-Dreams.com website and share some of their experience. I enjoyed their previous farm podcast and this one is a good listen as well.
• Chicken Thistle Farm CoopCast :: I stumbled on this podcast a couple weeks ago looking for something to listen to while keeping my foot up so it doesn't swell to twice it's size! It covers the happenings on Chicken Thistle Farm located in New York. The raise some livestock and have a CSA garden among other jobs and farm ventures. A good listen and a nice perspective.
• Joel Salatin on Inner Compass :: Search is a wonderful thing on iTunes, and it was a search that led me to this interview with Mr. Salatin. This is actually a video podcast of a local PBS show I believe. Although it took a while to download in town it was fun to watch.

There you have a few suggestions from me ... I would love to hear other suggestions!

What Next?

Okay, if you follow this blog with any sort of regularity you know that I recently finished reading Dirt Hog: A Hands-On Guide to Raising Pigs Outdoors....Naturally by Kelly Klober. Right now I'm working my way through "Harris on the Pig" and "Small-Scale Pig Raising", but I'm interested in taking a break from the pigs for a little bit and branching out. In the past I have come to those of you that take time to read the blog for all sorts of tips and advice, so once again I'm coming to you ... What are you reading now or what would you suggest.

Here are a few things I'm looking for in a book:

1. It has to be agriculturally related.
2. The book could be about agricultural history, grazing, agricultural philosophies, how-to, etc. Just no pig books for the moment because I already have those.
3. Maybe something from an author I haven't read yet. Of course if there is a can't miss book out there from an author I have already read don't neglect to share it with me.
4. I'm looking for a book that you consider a "must read" for every farmer.
5. Can't miss publications are also good. Right now I'm really interested in an "Acres" subscription, but would love to hear what others read from cover to cover.
6. And finally, I would be interested in reading something outside of what we are doing now on the farm (beef, pork, poultry). Something that would give ideas for the future of our farm.

So, there you go. What suggestions do you have for me this time?

500th Post Giveaway!

Lord willing this Wednesday will be my 50oth post on The Beginning Farmer blog. These posts have spanned almost two and a half years and for over the past year or more I have been posting six times each week. My posts have covered everything from our hopes and dreams to the struggles of starting our farm and learning as we go. But, in the midst of all my words something great happened ... people started reading and then they started sharing and commenting. I have learned so much from everyone who has taken time to e-mail me or comment on the blog and I am very thankful for that.

So, in honor of the 500th post I have decided to give a book away. I know that the people who read and comment on this blog are all over the place in terms of being farmers, wanting to be farmers, and there are even some consumers that just want to be me informed about the food they eat. With that in mind I'm doing a giveaway with a choice ... a choice of which book you would like to receive (I should also disclose that it will probably be a used book, but still in good shape).

What you will need to do is comment on this post (if you receive this through a feed you will need to click over to the blog) and tell me which book you would like if you win. Then on Wednesday morning around 8:00 AM I will use a random number generator to come up with the winner from the comment list.

Here are your choices (take the link to read about the book):

• All Flesh is Grass by Gene Logsdon
• The Contrary Farmer by Gene Logsdon
• You Can Farm by Joel Salatin
• Small-Scale Livestock Farming by Carol Ekarius
• Dirt Hog by Kelly Klober
• Harris on the Pig by Joseph Harris
• Making Your Small Farm Profitable by Ron Macher
• Grass-Fed Cattle by Julius Ruechel
• The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
• Small-Scale Pig Raising by Dirk van Loon
• A Bountiful Harvest (Pete Wettach farm photos)

What Are You Reading?

**Maybe you are wondering why there is a picture of C.S. Lewis on a farming blog. Keep reading and it will make sense.**

Hopefully I'll have a chance to share a farm update tomorrow. But, really life has been kind of bland on the farm lately with winter chores and such. The most exciting thing I'm doing right now is whittling away the massive 5 truck loads of wood that we have been gifted with this winter. But, more on that tomorrow. Today I want to talk reading material...

I don't remember if it was something Joel Salatin said, or if it was someone else. But, the gist of the quote was this, "I can tell everything I need to know about a farmer by looking at the books on their shelf and the magazines lying around". I thought that was an interesting thought and since I'm a guy that loves to read I thought it was a pretty truthful quote. You know what they say, "You are what you eat," and I think the same is true for what you read.

Here is what I've been reading:

"Acres U.S.A." - I just received my sample copy of this publication in the mail yesterday and I have enjoyed it so far. They make a specific "sample issue" so some of the current events stuff is dated, but it seems to be a publication full of good information. Plus, it covers everything from organic crops to grazing. Hopefully there will be some money in the budget for this sometime soon ... maybe after my birthday.

"Dirt Hog" by Kelly Klober - I'm still making my way through this book and I have to admit that it is a pretty good read. Maybe the only semi-bad thing (really it isn't bad at all) that I have thought so far is that he seems to be a little more uppity when it comes to pigs than I am. I don't really know how to express it, but maybe it is just a matter of scale thing since right now pigs are just a small part of our small operation. Nonetheless it is a book full of great information!

"The Future of Forestry" by C.S. Lewis - Yep ... I'm reading poetry! Actually there is a band out there by the same name that I just ran across and while I was reading up about them I found out that they got their name from a C.S. Lewis poem. That meant I had to look up the poem! I think it is a pretty profound piece of writing really, and even very applicable to the small farm that we are starting and the reasons behind what we do. Just check out these two lines and then I hope you will read the rest ... "Tarmac's laid where farm as faded, Tramline flows where slept a hamlet."

Now, I want to hear what you are reading! Give me some good ideas of what I should check out next, or let me know what you think of my latest selections.

Farming Book Recommendation

Yesterday I posted my last "chapter report" from Ron Macher's book, "Making Your Small Farm Profitable". Today I would like to recommend it to others who are (or wanting to be) beginning farmers like myself or those that are looking to take a different direction with their small farm. It is well written and organized in such a way that it is easy to read in small chunks (a good thing for a busy person). Also, I think it is full of good practical advice and principles to follow (or at least consider).

As I have mentioned in some of the "chapter reports" it is a little different than some of the books by Gene Logsdon, Wendell Berry, or Joel Salatin. While all three of those writers include many practical tips and advice in their books they also include many philosophical thoughts behind the reason to do things certain way. Mr. Macher doesn't get into some of those areas and sticks with the basics. Things like what livestock or crops to choose, what to consider when buying machinery, how to set goals, and so on.

Here are the links to all eleven of my "chapter reports: Chapter 1 ... Chapter 2 ... Chapter 3 ... Chapter 4 ... Chapter 5 ... Chapter 6 ... Chapter 7 ... Chapter 8 ... Chapter 9 ... Chapter 10 ... Chapter 11

Now that I'm done with this book it is time for me to start the next one. Here are my choices: "Harris on the Pig: Practical Hints for the Pig Farmer" by Joseph Harris ... "Dirt Hog" by Kelly Klober ... "Grass-Fed Cattle" by Julius Ruechel. Vote in the comments for what you think I should read next.

**In a totally unrelated note I encourage you to go over to the Epi-Log and vote on the, "Eat Me: Farmer Ethan To Name A Calf After Michael Y. Park". This is a funny little thing that he came up with and I thought it was silly enough to go along with. Of course he already has a vegetarian implying that he should only eat veggies, but that doesn't mean you can't vote!**