Customer Reviews

Family Friendly Farming: A Multi-Generational Home-Based Business Testament

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Joel Salatin has achieved a great deal of prominence in developing his model of sustainable agriculture. His creativity in recognizing and integrating the holistic aspects of how nature prefers to work in raising poultry and cattle comes through in this work that applies the same principles to farm families. His analysis of the dehumanizing aspects of modern agribusiness and how it exploits both the farmer and his family manages to avoid the bitterness that so often accompanies helplessness. That's because rather than remain helpless, he advocates that the farmer change the nature of his business and the relationship he has with his clientele. Through the re-establishment of local agrarian cultures Salatin hopes we find models that renew the life that farming has often promised, but struggled to deliver.

For the Wendell Berry devotees, this is a practical way to live the agrarian life.

It is well written, only occasionally preachy, and well worth the money. This is not a "how to" book. Try his books "Salad Bar Beef", "Pastured Poultry Profits" and "You Can Farm" for the nuts and bolts of what he has accomplished. The guy is exceptional.

This is the first book which I received from a group of my fellow employees when they found out I was venturing into buying a farm that my family and I could run. What an Eye opener!! I could hardly put the book down-- and my wife also flew through it. The downside of the book is it's visual stimulation, the busy rhetoric that Joel sometimes uses and the lack of details that are offered for construction methods,( how to get started from scratch etc.. But , don't let these small points dissuade you from ordering this book... it's wonderful, imaginative and very "catchy"... I look forward to more reading and following through on the ideas presented by Joel and his wonderful sounding family.

Family Friendly Farming is about the recentering of your family on the important parts like your children. Every agrarian should read this book, kids or no kids. Do you want your hard work today to be carried on , or subdivided into housing?
This book was inspiring to my husband and I. After reading Pastured Poultry, we purchased all of them, as well as other small farm books and have completely changed our lives. We moved to a state with less restricitve, and more farmer friendly laws, and are working towards getting a small farm for ourselves and our kids. Joel offers alternatives to passing on the farm in Trusts, etc. Let yourself be inspired to dream!

After reading this book, we have definitively decided to move so that we can begin hobby farming with the goal of creating a life sustaining farm! Joel Salatin's philosophies (from this book, You Can Farm, Pastured Poultry Profits, and Salad Bar Beef) will be the foundation in which we build our family friendly farm. A must read if you are a parent (on the farm or not!), you are thinking about farming, dream of farming, or are already on the farm and want to make your lifestyle more family friendly. Thanks Joel!

I have read all but one of Joel Salatins books and every page is like feasting on chocolate. I have not been able to put them down. His wonderful books underline what is so important to me and they easily explain how to make family friendly farming work for you. No bells, no whistles, just pure simple advice.
His Faith in God shows in all his words, as well as his love for his family and his lifesyle.
We have been trying to find a way out of this rat race that we find ourselves in and want to give our children and ourselves a way to enjoy the land and Gods simple pleasures.
Our dreams have changed, and we are going to do everything we can to make that dream happen for us and our children.
We homeschool already and are ready to take that next step.
Joel Salatins books are the best investment we have ever made in our lives to date.

I am a firm believer in all of Joel Salatin's views and concepts regarding farming, and have personally put into action many of his concepts.

This book, unlike his other books, talks more about the proper philosophy of farming rather than actual methods of farming. Even so, this book is by far worth the money and I highly recommend it.

I bought this book for my uncle, but read it before sending it to him. I had heard of Joel Salatin's farm in "Omnivore's Dilemma" and then got to see him when he spoke at a local University. If you ever get a chance to hear him speak, GO! However, if you don't have the opportunity, but your interest was piqued by the chapter from "Omnivore's Dilemma", this book is a great substitute. Of course most of us can't run off and start a farm but Joel Salatin makes you wish you could. He is unapologetic about everything he does and believes in, and is funny and entertaining while explaining the details of his farming methods. The stories about his innovations, his family and his philosophy are all a good read and you can farm vicariously, then go off to the farmers market and buy cage free eggs with an even stronger conviction to support local farmers.

Please be aware that this book is primarily about good parenting - the focus of the book is ensuring that farm kids enjoy their childhood, feel proud of their country lifestyle, and desire to carry on the family farm business in subsequent generations. If you are a farm family with young children or grandchildren, this may be an extremely helpful and valuable tutorial. It's all about the kids.

I was looking for guidance on HOW to properly manage my newly purchased small family farm/forest so that it will be a thriving, enticing property for my son to inherit - how often to move the cows, when to breed the goat, how many chickens per acre to regenerate the pasture - and this book contained virtually no such information. It was heavy on the this-way-is-so-much-better-than-the-industrial-food-factory message... if you're buying this book, you probably already agree with that philosophy and don't need to read a couple hundred pages of that.

I enjoyed the read, I (mother of 4 grown children) think the author's child-rearing methods are appropriate and effective, it just wasn't what I expected and needed.

This is a superb book on looking how we can live in community with others and build strong multi-generational vision for our families. Joel Salatin is funny, but to the point of problems with today's culture and modern hamster wheel lifestyle. This book will help you see how you can live in strong relationships with your children and other families. It will help you see how you can train your children to be hard workers, and enjoy the work. It will guide you to a more fulfilling life that you can share with future generations. The book is not a difficult read, but is full of many great ideas, and tips. It's a must read if you want to pursue an agrarian life, and even if you don't want to pursue an agrarian life.

This is my 4th or 5th book by this author and they are all educational and amusing at the same time. He has a great, relaxed writing style that is easy to read and many of his stories are hilarious. The information given is very educational and just in-depth enough to cover the subject. I recommend any or all of Joel's books. I hope someday to get to hear him speak in person.