As part of my goals for
the remainder of this year, I told myself I would dedicate a minimum of an hour
at work to reading about anything related to farming/living off the
land/sustainability. With the goal of a five year of being able to thrive off
of what the farm and my hobbies provide, I set myself on a path to making sure
I was armed with enough knowledge to have a bit more than basic understand of what
I'm getting into.
I don't want to go into
this half planned- there will be enough curve balls having the knowledge as it
is.
So I have a stack of
books that I've been working through. Everything from specific farm information
on horses, cattle and other livestock to general farm books. Very few are
written from or for a woman specifically but I'd love to find more of those.
The one I just finished was written by two authors, one woman and one male.
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| © Charlotte Hertlein 2020 |
Start Your Farm: The
Authoritative Guide to Becoming a Sustainable 21st- Century Famer by Forrest
Pritchard and Ellen Polishuk was extremely informative with lots of personal
stories. While it seemed like it took me forever to read I did finally manage
to get through it. This book challenged me in a variety of ways- patience,
intelligence and in my own critical thinking. Like with any book there are
things I absolutely loved, things that were neutral in emotions, and things
that frustrated me.
MY RAVS:
> I loved how this book was written with each contributor authoring chapters
based on their expertise and personal experience. Knowing that they had
practiced what they were writing really put weight into their worlds.
>Very thoroughly written (sometimes too well!). You cannot hide the fact
that either author is extremely intelligent, well spoken and well written. This
challenged me in more ways than one! My personal copy is all marked on. Quotes
underlined, highlighted, and definitions of words written in the margins.
> It truly covers
every aspect of starting a farm from the ground up. Giving you things to
consider, paths to take, how to cover employees, and so much more. It would
take me writing a novel to explain the vastness of this book.
> Each chapter ends
with a few questions reflecting on what you just read, how it can impact your
farm, and where you can find your strengths and weaknesses.
 |
| © Charlotte Hertlein 2020 |
MY NAYS:
> The authors almost had me talked out of getting a farm up and going before
they announced that wasn't their intention. It's extensive and almost
overwhelming at times, though practical, to know everything that can go wrong.
> Sometimes I spent
more time looking up words than reading the book. Which is great for my brain,
but also made it so much longer to read.
Overall this book has
been a trove of priceless information. With topics ranging from knowing what
kind of soil you have to insurance and on to setting up ways to sell your
products, I truly believe this earns this book as a place in your personal
library. Snuggled in next to your favorite books on farm life, cookbooks,
foraging, herbal remedies and (in my case) knitting/crochet pattern books.
Find this book at these
place:
Thrift Books
Ebay
Chirp Books
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