Recommended Reading: 8 Must-Read Books For Farmers
Increase Productivity, Decrease Stress and Cultivate a Deeper Connection to Your Craft
As the year comes to a close, farmers find themselves gearing up for another busy season on their farms. While managing a farm business is incredibly rewarding, it also comes with its fair share of challenges and stress.
Thankfully, there are numerous books and resources available that can provide valuable insights and strategies to help farmers reduce stress and effectively manage your farm operations.
GrownBy is built by farmers who are intimately familiar with the stress and strategies of running a successful farm. So we asked what they’re reading over winter break and gathered a short list of books every farmer should consider reading to prepare for the new year. From pastoral philosophy to engaging and educational lessons, all the books on our bookshelf will help cultivate a deeper understanding and appreciation for your craft.
So grab a notebook, find a quiet, cozy spot on your farm, and dive into these must-reads to kickstart a successful (and stress-free) season on your farm!
The Lean Farm
by Ben Hartman
One of the key challenges for farmers is finding ways to maximize efficiency and eliminate waste in their operations. In “The Lean Farm,” Ben Hartman introduces the concept of, well, lean farming, which draws inspiration from lean manufacturing principles.
Hartman shares practical advice and real-life examples that can help farmers identify and eliminate inefficiencies in their farm operations. In this book, farmers learn to streamline their processes, reduce costs, and improve productivity — and while keeping their sanity intact.
Whether you have a small-scale farm or a larger operation, “The Lean Farm” offers valuable insights to help you optimize your farm business in the new year.
RECOMMENDED BY
Lindsey Lusher Shute (she/her), farmer-owner of Hearty Roots, and GrownBy co-founder and CEO.
READ THE LEAN FARM HERE.
The Organic Farmer’s Business Handbook
by Richard Wiswall
Managing the business side of farming is often the most daunting aspect of farming. In The Organic Farmer’s Business Handbook, Richard Wiswall provides a comprehensive guide to running a successful farm business. From creating a business plan to managing finances and marketing produce, Wiswall covers it all!
The book offers practical tips, worksheets, and case studies that can help farmers make informed decisions and improve the profitability of their farm businesses.
Whether you’re an experienced farmer or just starting out, The Organic Farmer’s Business Handbook is an essential resource for managing your farm business effectively, while reducing stress in the process.
RECOMMENDED BY
Cara Fraver (she/her), Community Manager at GrownBy
READ THE ORGANIC FARMER’S BUSINESS HANDBOOK HERE.
Fearless Farm Finances: Farm Financial Management Demystified
by Jody L. Padgham, Paul Dietmann, and Craig Chase
From data collecting and organization to analyzing the number and making decisions, Fearless Farm Finances takes a comprehensive approach to a complex subject matter of farmer financial management and presents it in an easy to understand textbook style.
A project of the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (formerly MOSES, now Marbleseed), the authors include examples of diverse farms suitable for new and seasoned farmers alike. From dairy and diversified vegetables, to organic orchards and pastured poultry, the content is relevant for both small and large scale operations to help farmers assess and improve financial profitability and sustainability.
Dive deeper into the financials of your farm with the free online course available on YouTube.
RECOMMENDED BY
Mike Parker (he/him), farmer-owner at Sleeping Lion Farm; GrownBy co-founder and head of finance and operations.
READ FEARLESS FARM FINANCES HERE.
The One Straw Revolution
by Masanobu Fukuoka
The One Straw Revolution explores the philosophical nature of agriculture, gifting readers with a holistic view of the physical, physiological, and spiritual aspect to farming the land that works in harmony with nature, rather than against it.
Written by the late Japanese farmer and philosopher Masanobu Fukuoka in 1978, his ideas precede the current Western permaculture movement. He is celebrated for his natural farming practices and re-vegetation of desertified lands that he often referred to as “natural farming” or “do nothing farming.”
At the time of publication, Fukuoka’s ideas were revolutionary, radically different from the global systems supplying the world food fed by corporate capitalism, and the message is still relevant today, especially in the age of Amazon. In essence, The One Straw Revolution is a manifesto on the importance of no-till agriculture and herbicide and pesticide free cultivation methods.
RECOMMENDED BY
Eric Sannerud (he/him), farmer-owner of Pluck Flower Farm and Director of Accounts and Partnerships at Grown By for Farm Generations Cooperative.
READ THE ONE STRAW REVOLUTION HERE.
You can also find the full PDF Version available on soilandhealth.org.
Regenerative Agriculture
by Richard Perkins
Regenerative Agriculture is an all-encompassing book on regen ag to help you get a jump start on farming for the future.
With a clear and pragmatic approach, Perkins covers everything from designing, installing, and managing a profitable farm from the ground up — literally. He dives deep into the practical, personal, ecological and financial aspects of diversified farms designed to restore the rural relationship of stewarding the land with human-scale farming that benefits local communities and helps dedicated farmers turn healthy profits.
Offering hard numbers on both the production and business side of running a farming enterprise, Regenerative Agriculture is packed with detailed spreadsheets and illustrations covering a wide range of topics to empower you to plan (or redesign!) your farm with confidence.
RECOMMENDED BY
Mark Russo (he/him), diversified livestock farmer and GrownBy Community Manager for Farm Generations Cooperative.
READ REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE HERE.
Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land
by Leah Penniman
Author, activist, and farmer Leah Penniman is committed to ending racism and injustice in our food system, and Farming While Black is an inclusive book in every sense; Penniman covers everthing from time-honored recipes and history lessons on North American enslaved people’s fight for freedom, to providing examples of specific approaches, tools, and techniques traditionally practices in African countries.
Farming While Black contextualizes the origins of organic and no-till gardening and reminds readers how culitvating the land plays a significant role in the fight for food freedom and resilience.
RECOMMENDED BY
Dani Grover (they/them), sheep farmer and GrownBy Customer Support Specialist.
READ FARMING WHILE BLACK HERE.
Teaming with Microbes: A Gardener’s Guide to the Soil Food Web
by Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis
Teaming with Microbes: A Gardener’s Guide to the Soil Food Web is a comprehensive guide that digs deep into the fascinating world of soil and its intricate relationship with plants. Healthy soil is teeming with life — not only earthworms and insects, but staggering numbers of bacteria, fungi, and microorganisms.
The book emphasizes the importance of understanding the soil food web and how it contributes to the overall health and vitality of our soil, which, as you know, grows healthier plants, which feeds healthier humans and livestock.
Lowenfels and Lewis provide valuable insights into the benefits of nurturing a diverse and thriving soil ecosystem, offering practical tips and techniques for gardeners to improve their soil quality without the technical jargon. Whether you’re a novice gardener or an experienced farmer, this book offers valuable knowledge and guidance for cultivating a successful and sustainable soil for healthier plants and animals.
Teaming with Microbes is a must-have guide for any grower interested in growing without resorting to chemical fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides to cultivate successful and sustainable growing practices that benefit people and the planet.
RECOMMENDED BY
Eric Sannerud (he/him) and Cara Fraver (she/her).
READ TEAMING WITH MICROBES HERE.
The Unsettling of America: Culture & Agriculture
by Wendell Berry
Wendell Berry’s The Unsettling of America: Culture & Agriculture is a skillfully written cultural critique on large-scale industrial agriculture.
In it, Berry weaves past and present into an informative and interesting dialogue that shines a light on how our modern ways of living ultimately disconnects us from our farmers, our food, the land, and our history, ultimately wreaking havoc on people, producers, and the planet.
The seeds of this current unsustainable lifestyle go deep, and Berry’s message is more relevant than ever. Reading The Unsettling of America (alongside Berry’s other novels, short stories, and poetry books) is as inspiring to our farmers and food producers, as it is to consumers.
RECOMMENDED BY
Maggie Buchmann (she/her), Communications & Media Manager
READ THE UNSETTLING OF AMERICA HERE.
Agriculture is an art (and science!) that requires physical and mental resilience; farmers have always had to adapt to their environment and cater to the whims of the weather. These books can help minimize the friction farmers often have to deal with and allow you to grow with the flow.
By investing time in reading and learning from the experiences of others — fact or fiction — farmers can gain valuable knowledge and strategies to reduce stress and effectively manage a profitable and sustainable farm business.
Here’s to lifelong learning and a bountiful season, all year long.
Find free, copyright free PDFs on soil, health, farming, and agriculture at soilandhealth.org.
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