Ken and I have shelves and shelves of farming books that we have collected with zeal over the years. Our oldest dates to the 1860s; our newest just came out. Some of my favorites are:
Bubel, Nancy. The New Seed-Starters Handbook. Emmaus, Pa.: Rodale Press, 1988.
Coleman, Elliot. Four Season Harvest. White River Junction, Vt.: Chelsea Green, 1999.
———. The New Organic Grower. White River Junction, Vt.: Chelsea Green, 1995.
Damerow, Gail. Fences for Pasture and Garden. North Adams, Mass.: Storey Books, 1992.
———. Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens. North Adams, Mass.: Storey Books, 2000.
Ekarius, Carol. Small-Scale Livestock Farming: A Grass-based Approach to Health, Sustainability, and Profit. North Adams, Mass.: Storey Books, 1999.
———. See Simmons, below.
Kowalchik, Claire and William H. Hylton, eds. Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs. Emmaus, Pa.: Rodale Press, 1998.
Logsdon, Gene. The Contrary Farmer. White River Junction, Vt.: Chelsea Green, 1995.
Gene inspired us and helped us learn how to do many of the things that we’ve done. (For example, his Organic Orcharding book is a must-read for those interested in seriously pursuing an orchard, and his Small-scale Grain Raising is great for anyone who wants to grow grain crops, such as wheat or corn.) Read any and all books by Gene Logsdon that you can get your hands on (many are now out of print, but you can often purchase them used or find them in libraries).
Mettler, Dr. John J. Basic Butchering of Livestock and Game. North Adams, Mass.: A Garden Way Publication, Storey Books, 1986.
Poisson, Leandra, and Gretchen Vogel. Solar Gardening: Growing Vegetables the American Intensive Way. White River Junction, Vt.: Chelsea Green, 1994.
Salatin, Joel. Family Friendly Farming. White River Junction, Vt.: Chelsea Green, 2001.
———. Pastured Poultry Profits. White River Junction, Vt.: Chelsea Green, 1996.
———. Salad Bar Beef. White River Junction, Vt.: Chelsea Green, 1996.
———. You Can Farm. White River Junction, Vt.: Chelsea Green, 1998.
Schwenke, Karl. Successful Small-Scale Farming. North Adams, Mass.: Storey Books, 1991.
Simmons, Paula, and Carol Ekarius. Storey’s Guide to Raising Sheep. North Adams, Mass.: Storey Books, 2000.
Spaulding, C. E. Veterinary Guide for Animal Owners. North Adams, Mass.: Storey Books, 1996.
Withee, Wis.
(800) 551-5691
www.countrysidemag.com.
Lexington, Ky.
888-738-2665
www.hobbyfarmsmagazine.com
Clark, Mo.
(800) 633-2535
www.smallfarmtoday.com
Jackson, Miss.
(800)748-9808
www.stockmangrassfarmer.com
ATTRA is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is managed by the National Center for Appropriate Technology. It provides information and other technical assistance to farmers, ranchers, extension agents, educators, and others involved in sustainable agriculture in the United States. It is one of the best resources I know of, with outstanding information available online or mailed to you free of charge.
(800)346-9140
www.attra.org
ALBC is dedicated to preserving heritage breeds of livestock.
(919)542-5704
www.albc-usa.org
NREL is the nation’s leading laboratory for renewable energy research and development. They offer an excellent ten-page guide, A Consumer’s Guide to Buying a Solar Electric System.
(800) 363-3732
www.nrel.gov/ncpv/pdfs/26591.pdf
NRCS is a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They have many resources available, including a really great handbook, Ponds—Planning, Design, Construction (Agriculture Handbook 590). This handbook will walk you through the design process one step at a time, from choosing the right site to sizing spillways and dams. It also discusses construction techniques and considerations. Look in your phone book under “United States Government—Agriculture Department—NRCS” or “Soil Conservation Service” for your local office. Information is also available at their web site.
www.nrcs.usda.gov
OCIA provides research, education and certification services to thousands of organic growers, processors, and handlers.
(402) 477-2323
www.ocia.org
SARE is an initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It sponsors competitive grants for sustainable agriculture research and education. Check out the CSA directory on the SARE Web site.
www.sare.org
There are hundreds of excellent commercial providers for tools, equipment, seeds, and other farming resources. Here is a selection of my favorites:
Johnny’s is a great resource for seed—for both gardeners and field crop producers. The company carries vegetable and flower seeds; culinary, medicinal, and aromatic herb seeds; gardening tools; garden supplies; and home garden accessories. Johnny’s thoroughly tests all its seeds and accessories at the company’s certified organic farm in Albion, Maine, and backs up its products with a 100-percent-satisfaction guarantee.
(800)879-2258
www.johnnyseeds.com.
Lehman’s—a company that caters to the Amish community—is the source for old-fashioned, hard-to-find items such as pickle kegs, grain mills, wooden barrels, hand water pumps, wood cook stoves, heating stoves, canning supplies, and much, much more.
(888)438-5346
www.lehmans.com
NASCO’s catalog is like the Sears catalog for farming.
(800)558-9595
www.nascofa.com
Premier makes high-quality fencing materials that are great for all applications.
(800)282-6631
www.premier1supplies.com
This is an excellent source for garden and farm seeds, as well as tools, equipment, and other goods.
(888) 762-7333
www.seedsofchange.com
