Build Your Own Farm Tools Equipment Systems For The Small Scale Farm Market Garden

Author : Josh Volk
Publisher : Storey Publishing, LLC
ISBN 13 : 163586321X
Total Pages : 429 pages
Book Rating : 4.15/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Build Your Own Farm Tools written by Josh Volk and published by Storey Publishing, LLC. This book was released on 2021-08-17 with total page 429 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Josh Volk, author of the best-selling Compact Farms, offers small-scale farmers an in-depth guide to building customized equipment that will save time and money and introduce much-needed efficiencies to their operations. Volk begins with the basics, such as setting up a workshop and understanding design principles, mechanical principles, and materials properties, then presents plans for making 15 tools suited to small-farm tasks and processes. Each project includes an explanation of the tool’s purpose and use, as well as the time commitment, skill level, and equipment required to build it. Projects range from the super-simple (requiring a half-day to build) to the more complex, and include how-to photographs and illustrations with variations for customizing the finished implement. Along with instructions for building items such as simple seedling benches, a mini barrel washer, a DIY germination chamber, and a rolling pack table, Volk addresses systems design for farm efficiency, including how to design an effective drip irrigation system and how to set up spreadsheets for collecting important planning, planting, and market data. This publication conforms to the EPUB Accessibility specification at WCAG 2.0 Level AA.

Author : Jean-Martin Fortier
Publisher : New Society Publishers
ISBN 13 : 0865717656
Total Pages : 243 pages
Book Rating : 4.57/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book The Market Gardener written by Jean-Martin Fortier and published by New Society Publishers. This book was released on 2014-03-04 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Grow better not bigger with proven low-tech, human-scale, biointensive farming methods

Author : Josh Volk
Publisher : Storey Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1612125948
Total Pages : 241 pages
Book Rating : 4.47/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Compact Farms written by Josh Volk and published by Storey Publishing. This book was released on 2017-02-07 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Small is beautiful, and these 15 real farm plans show that small-scale farmers can have big-time success. Compact Farms is an illustrated guide for anyone dreaming of starting, expanding, or perfecting a profitable farming enterprise on five acres or less. The farm plans explain how to harness an area’s water supply, orientation, and geography in order to maximize efficiency and productivity while minimizing effort. Profiles of well-known farmers such as Eliot Coleman and Jean-Martin Fortier show that farming on a small scale in any region, in both urban and rural settings, can provide enough income to turn the endeavor from hobby to career. These real-life plans and down-and-dirty advice will equip you with everything you need to actually realize your farm dreams.

Author : Pam Dawling
Publisher : New Society Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1550925121
Total Pages : 459 pages
Book Rating : 4.28/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Sustainable Market Farming written by Pam Dawling and published by New Society Publishers. This book was released on 2013-02-01 with total page 459 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Growing for 100 - the complete year-round guide for the small-scale market grower. Across North America, an agricultural renaissance is unfolding. A growing number of market gardeners are emerging to feed our appetite for organic, regional produce. But most of the available resources on food production are aimed at the backyard or hobby gardener who wants to supplement their family's diet with a few homegrown fruits and vegetables. Targeted at serious growers in every climate zone, Sustainable Market Farming is a comprehensive manual for small-scale farmers raising organic crops sustainably on a few acres. Informed by the author's extensive experience growing a wide variety of fresh, organic vegetables and fruit to feed the approximately one hundred members of Twin Oaks Community in central Virginia, this practical guide provides: Detailed profiles of a full range of crops, addressing sowing, cultivation, rotation, succession, common pests and diseases, and harvest and storage Information about new, efficient techniques, season extension, and disease resistant varieties Farm-specific business skills to help ensure a successful, profitable enterprise Whether you are a beginning market grower or an established enterprise seeking to improve your skills, Sustainable Market Farming is an invaluable resource and a timely book for the maturing local agriculture movement.

Author : Stephen Leslie
Publisher : Chelsea Green Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1603584161
Total Pages : 371 pages
Book Rating : 4.66/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book The New Horse-Powered Farm written by Stephen Leslie and published by Chelsea Green Publishing. This book was released on 2013 with total page 371 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The New Horse-Powered Farm is the first book of its kind, offering wisdom and techniques for using horse power on the small farm or homestead. It sets the stage for incorporating draft power on the farm by presenting necessary information for experienced and novice teamsters alike, including getting started with workhorses; the merits of different draft breeds; various training systems for the horse and teamster; haying with horses, seeding crops, and raising small grains; in-depth coverage of tools and systems; and managing a woodlot, farm economics, education, agritourism, and more. It's a must-have resource for any farmer, homesteader, or teamster seeking to work with draft power in a closed-loop farming system.

Author : Ben Hartman
Publisher : Chelsea Green Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1603586997
Total Pages : 274 pages
Book Rating : 4.93/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book The Lean Farm Guide to Growing Vegetables written by Ben Hartman and published by Chelsea Green Publishing. This book was released on 2017 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At Clay Bottom Farm, author Ben Hartman and staff practice kaizen, or continuous improvement, cutting out more waste--of time, labor, space, money, and more--every year and aligning their organic production more tightly with customer demand. Applied alongside other lean principles originally developed by the Japanese auto industry, the end result has been increased profits and less work. In this field-guide companion to his award-winning first book, The Lean Farm, Hartman shows market vegetable growers in even more detail how Clay Bottom Farm implements lean thinking in every area of their work, including using kanbans, or replacement signals, to maximize land use; germination chambers to reduce defect waste; and right-sized machinery to save money and labor and increase efficiency. From finding land and assessing infrastructure needs to selling perfect produce at the farmers market, The Lean Farm Guide to Growing Vegetables digs deeper into specific, tested methods for waste-free farming that not only help farmers become more successful but make the work more enjoyable. These methods include: Using Japanese paper pot transplanters Building your own germinating chambers Leaning up your greenhouse Making and applying simple composts Using lean techniques for pest and weed control Creating Heijunka, or load-leveling calendars for efficient planning Farming is not static, and improvement requires constant change. The Lean Farm Guide to Growing Vegetables offers strategies for farmers to stay flexible and profitable even in the face of changing weather and markets. Much more than a simple exercise in cost-cutting, lean farming is about growing better, not cheaper, food--the food your customers want.

Author : Daniel Mays
Publisher : Storey Publishing, LLC
ISBN 13 : 1635861896
Total Pages : 241 pages
Book Rating : 4.91/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book The No-Till Organic Vegetable Farm written by Daniel Mays and published by Storey Publishing, LLC. This book was released on 2020-11-10 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: No-till — a method of growing crops and providing pasture without disturbing the soil — has become an important alternative to standard farming practices. In this comprehensive guide to successful no-till vegetable farming for aspiring and beginning farmers, author Daniel Mays, owner and manager of an organic no-till farm in Maine, outlines the environmental, social, and economic benefits of this system. The methods described are designed for implementation at the human scale, relying primarily on human power, with minimal use of machinery. The book presents streamlined planning and record-keeping tools as well as marketing strategies, and outlines community engagement programs like CSA, food justice initiatives, and on-farm education.

Author : Ben Hartman
Publisher : Chelsea Green Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1603585923
Total Pages : 258 pages
Book Rating : 4.27/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book The Lean Farm written by Ben Hartman and published by Chelsea Green Publishing. This book was released on 2015 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A practical, systems-based approach for a more sustainable farming operation To many people today, using the words "factory" and "farm" in the same sentence is nothing short of sacrilege. In many cases, though, the same sound business practices apply whether you are producing cars or carrots. Author Ben Hartman and other young farmers are increasingly finding that incorporating the best new ideas from business into their farming can drastically cut their wastes and increase their profits, making their farms more environmentally and economically sustainable. By explaining the lean system for identifying and eliminating waste and introducing efficiency in every aspect of the farm operation, The Lean Farm makes the case that small-scale farming can be an attractive career option for young people who are interested in growing food for their community. Working smarter, not harder, also prevents the kind of burnout that start-up farmers often encounter in the face of long, hard, backbreaking labor. Lean principles grew out of the Japanese automotive industry, but they are now being followed on progressive farms around the world. Using examples from his own family's one-acre community-supported farm in Indiana, Hartman clearly instructs other small farmers in how to incorporate lean practices in each step of their production chain, from starting a farm and harvesting crops to training employees and selling goods. While the intended audience for this book is small-scale farmers who are part of the growing local food movement, Hartman's prescriptions for high-value, low-cost production apply to farms and businesses of almost any size or scale that hope to harness the power of lean in their production processes.

Author : Stephen Leslie
Publisher : Chelsea Green Publishing
ISBN 13 : 160358613X
Total Pages : 418 pages
Book Rating : 4.39/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Horse-Powered Farming for the 21st Century written by Stephen Leslie and published by Chelsea Green Publishing. This book was released on 2015 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now is a time of exciting new developments for live animal power. As the numbers of adherents to this way of life grow, ecologically minded farmers in their fields are developing efficient horse-drawn systems, and equipment manufacturers in small shops all across North America and Europe are coming forth with new innovations in ground-drive technology that have us poised on the cusp of another agricultural revolution—with working horses, mules, donkeys, and oxen at the heart of it. --Publisher

Author : Laura Lengnick
Publisher : New Society Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1550925784
Total Pages : 371 pages
Book Rating : 4.84/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Resilient Agriculture written by Laura Lengnick and published by New Society Publishers. This book was released on 2015-05-11 with total page 371 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climate change presents an unprecedented challenge to the productivity and profitability of agriculture in North America. More variable weather, drought, and flooding create the most obvious damage, but hot summer nights, warmer winters, longer growing seasons, and other environmental changes have more subtle but far-reaching effects on plant and livestock growth and development. Resilient Agriculture recognizes the critical role that sustainable agriculture will play in the coming decades and beyond. The latest science on climate risk, resilience, and climate change adaptation is blended with the personal experience of farmers and ranchers to explore: The "strange changes" in weather recorded over the last decade The associated shifts in crop and livestock behavior The actions producers have taken to maintain productivity in a changing climate The climate change challenge is real and it is here now. To enjoy the sustained production of food, fiber, and fuel well into the twenty-first century, we must begin now to make changes that will enhance the adaptive capacity and resilience of North American agriculture. The rich knowledge base presented in Resilient Agriculture is poised to serve as the cornerstone of an evolving, climate-ready food system. Laura Lengnick is a researcher, policymaker, activist, educator, and farmer whose work explores the community-enhancing potential of agriculture and food systems. She directs the academic program in sustainable agriculture at Warren Wilson College and was a lead author of the report Climate Change and Agriculture in the United States: Effects and Adaptation.