Successful Small-Scale Farming: An Organic Approach (Down-To-Earth Book)
When I first wrote Successful Small-Scale Farming eleven years ago, writes Karl Schwenke in the preface to this new edition, "an 'organic farmer' was synonymous with a 'lonely hippie troublemaker.' Today he is classed somewhere between a high-priced elitist and an opportunistic liar."So begins this classic guide to organic small-scale agriculture, fully updated and revised for the 1990s -- for a new generation of readers who would like to live closer to the earth.Successful Small-Scale Farming introduces anyone owning (or planning to own) a small farm to both the harsh realities and the real potential involved in making a full- or part-time living on the land. Karl Schwenke's clear-eyed approach to the best farming methods covers a wide range of proven techniques and practical advice, including:* How to improve, conserve, and enrich your soil organically, to ensure the highest (and healthiest) yields.* What machinery you'll need and how to use it.* The best "cash crops" and specialty crops to grow for profit and how to raise them.* How to use innovative strategies to find or create a market "niche" for your farm's crops or services.* A concise overview of essential farmstead skills, such as haying, fencing, and managing a woodlot.* Numerous charts and tables that put useful calculations at your fingertips.With today's increased concern for the quality of the food we eat and the health of our environment, Successful Small-Scale Farming offers a unique and invaluable perspective on the future of agriculture. Karl Schwenke's message -- that small-scale farms can be cleaner, smarter, and more efficient than corporate agribusiness -- has never been so relevant as it is today.