Customer Reviews

All Flesh Is Grass: Pleasures & Promises Of Pasture Farming

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I liked Logsdon't specifics on the effects of different kinds of pasture. I think he misses an important opportunity with his unstructured grazing--See Joel Salatin's Salad Bar Beef for balance. The intense management of grazing (Salatin) makes a more sanitary environment and eliminates the need for antibiotics. Salatin is indifferent to the choices of grass variety on which Logsdon devotes so much time. The two authors provide complementary perspectives, including different details. Logsdon discusses fencing in some detail--I share his reluctance to depend on electric fence for boundaries-Salatin dismisses it and goes all electric. Both authors are persuasive advocates for grass fed beef.

Gene Logsdon understands what farming should have always been and still could be. The book is very focused on the cumulative health benefits that come from feeding the soil, the plants, the animals and you. He has little patience with agribusiness and is not afraid to name names.

This book is a "must have" for those new to farm ownership. Pratical matters such as "cattle panels verses woven-wire fences" and stock ponds are presented in ways that integrate the farm into healthy cycles of growth and rest.

A stronger section on the health benefits of raw milk would have made the section on milk and dairy from grass-fed cows more complete. But not even Gene can be expected to discuss everything.

Buy it and give it to your closest farming friends.

A compelling look at the benefits and solid argument for pasture farming. Skillfully written as if you were engaged in a friendly dialogue with an old friend, you are provided with more than an armfull of knowledge to guide you down the path of true agrarianism with respect to livestock and crop farming. I came away with a clearer sense of the merits of adhering to the natural cycle and relationship between the earth and the farmer. Most importantly, I came away with the notion that farming is best when the farmer provides an environment where the animals can work for themselves - it is more environmentally-friendly, more productive and more economical.

This book is excellent for many ideas for the new farm owner and those experienced farmers willing to try something different than current ag promotes. Basicaly its everything old is new again, if youve ever read any early 20th century ag books you will see what I mean. Gene writes in a very fun and easy to digest manner, it really is like listening to your favorite uncles advice! Any way cant recommend this enough, if your lookin to get a few acres and get rolling, this is your first and best Book!

I found this as one of the best books on this subject (grazing, non-conventional agriculture, small scale farming), that melded practical information with well-founded global concerns. Really made one take a hard look at 'conventional agriculture' - which by definition is not sustainable. There still may be some hope for humanity. The author has a good sense of humour, so it reads easily.

If you buy only one book on this subject, you won't go wrong with this one.

All Flesh Is Grass by Gene Logsdon

This book is a must read/own for anyone considering grass farming (pasture based livestock). In the book he discusses:

How to set up a rotation of pastures
Which plants he prefers and ones that will do well in other climates
How to graze the pastures
What problems specific pastures (plant type) might pose to livestock
How to cut pastures for hay and silage
How to seed pastures with the minimum of equipment
How to divide permanent pastures and temporary pastures (used for gardens, hay making, growing grains, etc.)
How to build and maintain fences
Stocking rates for animals (though this varies by region and quality of the soil)
What plants to avoid in your pastures
Which trees are good on pastures
Good and Bad weeds for grazing
How to make a haystack
How to build a reserve of plant material for winter grazing
How to approach year round grazing with minimal hay or grain feed
And most importantly how to let the animals do most of the work

This book is aimed more at a garden farmer who is trying to maximize self sufficiency than the production minded market/commercial farmer. For commercial farmers who are willing to sacrifice some of the quantity for quality, then this book will work for you too. Most of the discussion is framed around farms in the 5-50 acre range. It is still helpful for those who will have less land for a few animals and is also scalable for farms in the 50-500 acre range. Gene is not anti grain , he just believes in planting it with other crops like clover and letting the animals harvest and feed it to them selves. Instead of 90% grain and 10% pasture he advocates for 80% pasture and 20% grain. Though on his farm he only dedicates about 10% to corn in one of his temporary pastures. This corn he recommends sheep graze first, then hogs, and finally dry cows and draft animals.

What is not covered, and for good reason, is how many animals to stock on how much land for how long in a rotational grazing system. The reason is it will be different fro every farm. Depending on what mix of animals you have, the quality of the soil, how much rain, what plant types and which species of those plants is how you need to base those decisions. That can only be done by the eye of the farmer and knowledge gained from years of experience. For this reason he suggest that someone who wants to get into commercial pastured meat products first start with a small farm and learn the technique, before investing lots of money and learning the hard way.

This book is good for a laugh and knowledge for beginners, as well as a reference to other books and publications on pasture based farming.

No one interested in building pasture with a minimum of machinery and time investment could do better than a read (and re-read) of Logsdon's book. Coming from one of the deans of sustainable farming, Logsdon concentrates on which grains and methods of rotation are the most efficient and productive for the creation of a good pasture. One important aspect of the book is the treatments given to smaller plots, as Logsdon himself has in Northern Ohio, in such a way as to maximize the length of yearly grazing for a variety of livestock. Logsdon also brings in others with whom he has shared methodologies, reporting on variations in the methodology which, nonetheless, all support a basically non-invasive, non-heavy mechanical approach to pasture health and livestock nutrition. Highly recommended.

This book was a good foundation for the basis of starting a small farm/ homestead. I particularly enjoyed reading about the grazing of traditional grains such as corn. The only thing I wish this book had was a little more information on profit potential and the basic economics of operating a farm such as this. Otherwise Gene Logsdon is a pretty entertaing and down to earth writer.

I really enjoyed this book. Gene is what i'd consider a wise man in many areas (athough i disagreed with something he said, but cant remember what now.) He not only uses facts but also his own experience (along with that of his father and grandfather) in this book. It is especially helpful if you live in an area similar to northern OH, which is where he lives and gets most of his experieance. This information is useful no matter what animal(s) you are grazing or how small/large your operation.

This book is what every modern farm should base their farm on. Easy to read, organized well. No farm would be complete without reading this book on the New-Age philosophy of farming livestock using and preserving our natural resources at hand. A must!