Download or read book Farming on the Wild Side written by Nancy J. Hayden and published by Chelsea Green Publishing. This book was released on 2019-09-19 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One farm’s decades-long journey into regenerative agriculture—and how these methods enhance biodiversity, pollinators, and soil health Northern Vermont’s Nancy and John Hayden have spent the last 25 years transforming their draft horse–powered, organic vegetable and livestock operation into an agroecological, regenerative, biodiverse, organic fruit farm, fruit nursery, and pollinator sanctuary. In Farming on the Wild Side they explain the philosophical and scientific principles that influenced them as they phased out sheep and potatoes and embraced apples, pears, stone fruits, and a wide variety of uncommon berry crops; turned much of their property into a semi-wild state; and adapted their marketing and sales strategies to the new century. As the Haydens pursued their goals of enhancing biodiversity and regenerating their land, they incorporated agroforestry and permaculture principles into perennial fruit polycultures, a pollinator sanctuary, repurposed greenhouses for growing fruit, hügelkultur, and ecological “pest” management. Beyond the practical techniques and tips, this book also inspires readers to develop greater ecological literacy and respect for the mysteries of the global ecosystem. Farming on the Wild Side tells a story about new ways to manage small farms and homesteads, about nurturing land, about ecology, about economics, and about things that we can all do to heal both the land and ourselves.
Download or read book Our Wild Farming Life written by Lynn Cassells and published by Chelsea Green Publishing. This book was released on 2023-03-10 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As seen on the BBC’s This Farming Life The inspirational story of Lynbreck Croft—a regenerative Scottish farm rooted in local food, community, and the dreams of two women. Lynn and Sandra left their friends, family, and jobs in England to travel north to Scotland to find a bit of land that they could call their own. They had in mind keeping a few chickens, a kitchen garden, and renting out some camping space; instead, they fell in love with Lynbreck Croft—150 acres of opportunity and beauty, shrouded by the Cairngorms and deep in the Highlands of Scotland. But they had no money, no plan, and no experience in farming. In Our Wild Farming Life, Lynn and Sandra recount their experiences as they work out what kind of farmers they want to be, learning how to work with Highland cattle, become part of the crofting community, and understand how they can farm with nature to produce food for themselves and the people around them. “Through their journey to becoming farmers,” as The Guardian recently wrote, “it’s clear that nature and the health of the environment plays a central role in everything they do, from planting 17,500 native broadleaf trees for wood pasture to setting aside 22 hectares for rewilding.” And through efforts like these, Lynn and Sandra have been able to combine regenerative farming practices with old crofting traditions to keep their own personal values intact. Our Wild Farming Life is what happens when you follow your dreams of living on the land; a story of how two people became farmers—and how they learned to make a living from it, their way.
Download or read book My Farming Life written by Emma Gray and published by Sphere. This book was released on 2022-04-21 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: AS SEEN ON BBC TWO'S HIT TV-SHOW 'THIS FARMING LIFE' 'A heartwarming tale of life on the land' Alan Titchmarsh 'There's love and loss, challenge and adversity, but above all it's warm, insightful and inspiring' Helen Skelton 'Will inspire any reader to look at the countryside - and all those who work there - with newfound appreciation' Jimmy Doherty 'Uplifting, charming and beautifully written' Adam Henson Emma Gray was just twenty-three when she moved to an isolated farm in Northumberland, becoming Britain's youngest solo shepherdess. In the seasons that followed, Emma fell in love with its rolling fields, surrounding forest and sturdy farmhouse, tending her sheep and training her dogs - and even found romance. But when Emma finds herself suddenly alone again, heartbroken and recovering from a serious accident, she wonders if her isolated existence is still such a sensible idea. Even if she recovers, how could she make a proper living on Fallowlees Farm? In her heartwarming book, Emma tells the story of how she picked herself up and expanded her cattle herd, added more horses to her menagerie, and became one of the country's most successful breeders and trainers of Border Collies - unexpectedly discovering true love and lasting happiness along the way. Written with warmth and humour, My Farming Life is a joyous celebration of nature and community, and a delight for anyone who's ever dreamed of living closer to the countryside.
Download or read book The Dirty Life written by Kristin Kimball and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2011-04-12 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After interviewing a young farmer, writer Kristen Kimball gave up her urban lifestyle to begin a farm with her interviewee near Lake Champlain in northern New York.
Download or read book Wilding written by Isabella Tree and published by Pan Macmillan. This book was released on 2018-05-03 with total page 396 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ‘A poignant, practical and moving story of how to fix our broken land, this should be conservation's salvation; this should be its future; this is a new hope’ – Chris Packham In Wilding, Isabella Tree tells the story of the ‘Knepp experiment’, a pioneering rewilding project in West Sussex, using free-roaming grazing animals to create new habitats for wildlife. Part gripping memoir, part fascinating account of the ecology of our countryside, Wilding is, above all, an inspiring story of hope. Winner of the Richard Jefferies Society and White Horse Book Shop Literary Prize. Forced to accept that intensive farming on the heavy clay of their land at Knepp was economically unsustainable, Isabella Tree and her husband Charlie Burrell made a spectacular leap of faith: they decided to step back and let nature take over. Thanks to the introduction of free-roaming cattle, ponies, pigs and deer – proxies of the large animals that once roamed Britain – the 3,500 acre project has seen extraordinary increases in wildlife numbers and diversity in little over a decade. Extremely rare species, including turtle doves, nightingales, peregrine falcons, lesser spotted woodpeckers and purple emperor butterflies, are now breeding at Knepp, and populations of other species are rocketing. The Burrells’ degraded agricultural land has become a functioning ecosystem again, heaving with life – all by itself. Personal and inspirational, Wilding is an astonishing account of the beauty and strength of nature, when it is given as much freedom as possible. Highly Commended by the Wainwright Golden Beer Book Prize.
Download or read book Tales From the Farm by the Yorkshire Shepherdess written by Amanda Owen and published by Pan Macmillan. This book was released on 2021-03-04 with total page 113 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For everyone who loves watching Amanda Owen and her family on Our Yorkshire Farm, or enjoys reading her bestselling books, comes this delightful and uplifting collection of her monthly Dalesman columns. In Tales From the Farm by the Yorkshire Shepherdess Amanda takes readers on an evocative journey to Ravenseat, where she lives with husband Clive and their nine children, not to mention their flock of sheep, herd of cows, hardworking dogs and a formidable chicken called Linda. Covering events from 2019 through to early 2021, Amanda describes saving the life of a newborn calf on New Year's Eve and watching, mouth agape, as their livestock trailer was swept away by floodwater in March. Son Sidney braves the wrath of Linda and husband Clive crafts an unusual Valentine's Day gift. Eldest daughter Raven leaves the nest, headed for university, while young sheepdog Taff and Tony the pony arrive at the farm. As Covid-19 sends the country into lockdown, Amanda feels more lucky than ever to live close to nature, finding happiness in the beauty of the Dales and the unchanging routines of the farming year. Illustrated with charming line-drawings throughout, this book is the perfect gift for fans of the Owen family and a chance to catch up on their adventures.
Download or read book The Resilient Farm and Homestead written by Ben Falk and published by Chelsea Green Publishing Company. This book was released on 2013 with total page 323 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Resilient Farm and Homestead is a manual for developing durable, beautiful, and highly functional human habitat systems fit to handle an age of rapid transition. Ben Falk is a land designer and site developer whose permaculture-research farm has drawn national attention. 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 Farm and 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.
Download or read book Farmageddon written by Philip Lymbery and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2014-01-30 with total page 598 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The quiet revolution of mega-farming that is threatening our countryside, farms and food. 'This eye-opening book . . . deserves global recognition' Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall 'Devastating . . . demands reading and deserves the widest possible audience' Joanna Lumley 'He is informed enough to be appalled, and moderate enough to persuade us to take responsibility for the system that feeds us' Guardian: Book of the Week Farm animals have been disappearing from our fields as the production of food has become a global industry. We no longer know for certain what is entering the food chain and what we are eating. We are reaching a tipping point as the farming revolution threatens our countryside, health and the quality of our food wherever we live in the world. From the antibiotics routinely given to industrially farmed animals to the chemicals that are killing our insect populations, Farmageddon is a fascinating and terrifying investigative journey behind the closed doors of a runaway industry across the world – from Europe to the USA, from China to Latin America. It is both a wake-up call to change our current food production and eating practices, and an attempt to find a way to a better farming future.
Download or read book Dead Zone written by Philip Lymbery and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2017-03-09 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'An honest, compelling and important account, and a critical plea for a fusion of farming, food and nature to provide global ecological security' CHRIS PACKHAM Why are so many animals facing extinction? Climate change and poaching are not the only culprits. The impact of consumer demand for cheap meat is equally devastating, and it is vital that we confront this problem if we are to stand a chance of reducing its effect on the world around us. · We are falsely led to believe that squeezing animals into factory farms and cultivating crops in vast, chemical-soaked prairies is a necessary evil, an efficient means of providing for an ever-expanding global population while leaving land free for wildlife · Our planet's resources are reaching breaking point: awareness is slowly building that the wellbeing of society depends on a thriving natural world From the author of the internationally acclaimed Farmageddon, Dead Zone takes us on an eye-opening journey across the globe, focussing on a dozen iconic species - from elephants to bumblebees to penguins - and looking at the role that industrial farming is playing in their plight.
Download or read book Farms with a Future written by Rebecca Thistlethwaite and published by Chelsea Green Publishing. This book was released on 2012 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Do you want to make your farm more dynamic, profitable, and-- above all-- sustainable? Thistlethwaite introduces readers to some of the country's most innovative farmers, in order to help you build a triple-bottom-line farming business focused on economic viability, social justice, and ecological soundness.
Download or read book A Year in the Life of the Yorkshire Shepherdess written by Amanda Owen and published by Pan Macmillan. This book was released on 2016-05-05 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Sunday Times bestseller full of inspiring tales of life as a shepherdess, by the star of Channel 5’s Our Yorkshire Farm. From bestselling author Amanda Owen come more stories of life at Ravenseat, the remote Yorkshire hill farm she shares with husband Clive, eight children and 1,000 sheep. In A Year in the Life of the Yorkshire Shepherdess she describes the age-old cycles of a farming year and the constant challenges the family faces, from being cut off in winter to tending their flock on some of Yorkshire's highest, bleakest moors – land so inaccessible that in places it can only be reached on foot. Writing with her trademark warmth and humour, Amanda takes us into her life as nine-year-old Miles gets his first flock, Reuben takes up the flugelhorn and she gives birth to a new baby girl. She is touched by the epic two-day journey of a mother sheep determined to find her lamb and gives a new home to an ageing and neglected horse. Meanwhile Clive is almost arrested on a midnight stakeout to catch a sheep-worrying dog and becomes the object of affection for a randy young bull. Funny, poignant and charming, A Year in the Life of the Yorkshire Shepherdess is a must for anyone interested in the countryside and those who farm it. 'Amanda Owen is like a breath of fresh air. Amanda's life is one of old-fashioned values, hard graft and plenty of love. She, like her life, is extraordinary' - Ben Fogle
Download or read book Eat Like a Fish written by Bren Smith and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2019-05-14 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: JAMES BEARD AWARD WINNER IACP Cookbook Award finalist In the face of apocalyptic climate change, a former fisherman shares a bold and hopeful new vision for saving the planet: farming the ocean. Here Bren Smith—pioneer of regenerative ocean agriculture—introduces the world to a groundbreaking solution to the global climate crisis. A genre-defining “climate memoir,” Eat Like a Fish interweaves Smith’s own life—from sailing the high seas aboard commercial fishing trawlers to developing new forms of ocean farming to surfing the frontiers of the food movement—with actionable food policy and practical advice on ocean farming. Written with the humor and swagger of a fisherman telling a late-night tale, it is a powerful story of environmental renewal, and a must-read guide to saving our oceans, feeding the world, and—by creating new jobs up and down the coasts—putting working class Americans back to work.
Download or read book Grow Wild written by Katy Bowman and published by Uphill Books. This book was released on 2021-05-03 with total page 495 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From biomechanist and bestselling author Katy Bowman comes her eagerly anticipated guide to getting kids―from babies to preteens―and their families moving more, together, outside. 2021 INDIE Awards Gold Winner (Family & Relationships category) Katy Bowman is my go-to expert on the importance of movement for the body. Grow Wild is no exception to that. Filled with delightful, rich nuggets of information on everything from the best shoes to put on your child's feet (if necessary!) to the importance of climbing trees, this book is a real gem for any family wanting to make the most of their movement opportunities on a daily basis.--Angela Hanscom, author of Balanced and Barefoot: How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children Our kids are moving less than any other generation in human history; indoor time and screen time have skyrocketed. As adults and kids turn more to convenient, tech-based solutions, tasks that once required head-to-toe use of our muscles and bones can be done with a click and a swipe. Without realizing it, we’ve traded convenience for the movement-rich environment that our physical, mental, and environmental health depends on. Parents don’t know what to do! But there’s good news: While the problem feels massive, the solution is simple…and fun! Grow Wild not only breaks down the big ideas behind movement as a nutrient, it serves as a field guide―how to spot all the movement opportunities we’re currently missing. Learn to stack your life for richer experiences that don’t take more time: Set up your home to promote more movement, naturally Dress for (movement) success Add snacktivities to your meals Plan dynamic celebrations Create a dynamic homework space Bring nature into your home and play Bowman, a leader in the Movement movement, has written Grow Wild to show where movement used to fit into the activities of daily life and more importantly, how it can again. The perfect companion to Bowman’s bestseller Move Your DNA, Grow Wild provides practical, everyday, nature-rich ideas on how to let kids move their DNA while doing things they’ll love. The book features: 100+ full-color photographs of kids and families moving Success stories from parents, grandparents, teachers Study sessions that make movement research more accessible to laypersons Written to all that work with children―parents, teachers, relatives, health professionals, and more A book to be referenced again and again as kids grow up! Grow Wild is essential reading for a wide range of readers―anyone who spends time with children. Humans live in many places and there are countless movement opportunities wherever you live, you just need to know how to spot them. Children and their families can thrive by learning to move more inside, adventure more outside, and grow wild in any environment.
Download or read book Wild Fell written by Lee Schofield and published by Random House. This book was released on 2022-02-24 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'I found myself turning the pages with an inward leap of joy' - Isabella Tree *WINNER of the Richard Jefferies Award for Nature Writing* *Shortlisted for the James Cropper Wainwright Prize for Conservation* 'Exquisite' GUARDIAN It was a tragic day for the nation's wildlife when England's last and loneliest golden eagle died in an unmarked spot among the remote eastern fells of the Lake District. But the fight to restore the landscape had already begun. Lee Schofield, ecologist and site manager for RSPB Haweswater, is leading efforts to breathe life back into two hill farms and their thirty square kilometres of sprawling upland habitat. Informed by the land, its turbulent history and the people who have shaped it, Lee and his team are repairing damaged wetlands, meadows and woods. Each year, the landscape is becoming richer, wilder and better able to withstand the shocks of a changing climate. But in the contested landscape of the Lake District, change is not always welcomed, and success relies on finding a balance between rewilding and respecting cherished farming traditions. This is not only a story of an ecosystem in recovery, it is also the story of Lee's personal connection to place, and the highs and lows of working for nature amid fierce opposition.
Download or read book DK Eyewitness Books Farm written by Ned Halley and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2000-05-31 with total page 66 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Farming is an integral part of life that has become one of the most valuable and relied upon resources ever. Discover its historical roots and learn about the future of farming in this comprehensive guide. Superb color photographs give the reader a unique "eyewitness" view of farm animals, crops, machines, harvesting, and every other aspect of farming. See all kinds of farm animals, both new breeds and old, a seed drill and a steam threshing machine,a sheep being shorn, an early tractor, a reaper-binder in action, a massive combine harvester, and horses at work. Learn how a cornstack is built, how wheat is separated from chaff, how genetic engineering affects farm animals, when the first plows were made, and what organic farmers do. Discover what silage is, who grew potatoes first, the inventions of the Egyptians, why dibblers walk backward, where corn is stored, what different animals eat, and much, much more! Discover the story of farming plowing, sowing, harvesting and rearing livestock.
Download or read book The Growing Season written by Sarah Frey and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2021-10-05 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A gutsy success story” (The New York Times Book Review) about one tenacious woman’s journey to escape rural poverty and create a billion-dollar farming business—without ever leaving the land she loves The youngest of her parents’ combined twenty-one children, Sarah Frey grew up on a struggling farm in southern Illinois, often having to grow, catch, or hunt her own dinner alongside her brothers. She spent much of her early childhood dreaming of running away to the big city—or really anywhere with central heating. At fifteen, she moved out of her family home and started her own fresh produce delivery business with nothing more than an old pickup truck. Two years later, when the family farm faced inevitable foreclosure, Frey gave up on her dreams of escape, took over the farm, and created her own produce company. Refusing to play by traditional rules, at seventeen she began talking her way into suit-filled boardrooms, making deals with the nation’s largest retailers. Her early negotiations became so legendary that Harvard Business School published some of her deals as case studies, which have turned out to be favorites among its students. Today, her family-operated company, Frey Farms, has become one of America’s largest fresh produce growers and shippers, with farmland spread across seven states. Thanks to the millions of melons and pumpkins she sells annually, Frey has been dubbed “America’s Pumpkin Queen” by the national press. The Growing Season tells the inspiring story of how a scrappy rural childhood gave Frey the grit and resiliency to take risks that paid off in unexpected ways. Rather than leaving her community, she found adventure and opportunity in one of the most forgotten parts of our country. With fearlessness and creativity, she literally dug her destiny out of the dirt.
Download or read book Farming for the Long Haul written by Michael Foley and published by Chelsea Green Publishing. This book was released on 2019 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Farming in the ruins of the twentieth century -- A short, unhappy history of business advice for farmers -- Subsistence first! -- Land for the tiller -- Soil, civilization, and resilient farmers through the centuries -- Resourceful farmers -- Woodlands and wastes -- It takes a village: leisure, community, and resilience -- Getting a living, forging a livelihood -- Farmer, citizen, survivor: politics and resilience
