Whole-Farm Planning
Whole-Farm Planning

Author: Elizabeth Henderson

Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing

Published: 2011-04-15

Total Pages: 106

ISBN-13: 1603583564

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Why do whole-farming planning? What makes it more effective than other ways of managing farms? The answers to these questions lie in a quiet rediscovery through science that is fundamentally changing the way modern humans see and must manage the world. The goal of this whole-farm planning manual is to reintroduce a macroscopic method of making and testing decisions on the farm and in larger wholes in which we live. This NOFA guide has information on: Lessons from systems science (including tools) Assessing the whole farm (what are we managing? the people, physical and mental assets, money) Understanding the farm ecosystems (the water and mineral cycles, dynamics of the biological community, the energy flow) Choosing appropriate tools Making a framework to test decisions Including examples and statements from practicing farmers, and more holistic resources and alternative business models.

The Resilient Farm and Homestead
The Resilient Farm and Homestead

Author: Ben Falk

Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing Company

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 323

ISBN-13: 1603584447

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The Resilient Farm and Homestead is a manual for developing durable, beautiful, and highly functional human habitat systems fit to handle an age of rapid transition. Ben Falk is a land designer and site developer whose permaculture-research farm has drawn national attention. The site is a terraced paradise on a hillside in Vermont that would otherwise be overlooked by conventional farmers as unworthy farmland. Falk's wide array of fruit trees, rice paddies (relatively unheard of in the Northeast), ducks, nuts, and earth-inspired buildings is a hopeful image for the future of regenerative agriculture and modern homesteading. The book covers nearly every strategy Falk and his team have been testing at the Whole Systems Research Farm over the past decade, as well as experiments from other sites Falk has designed through his off-farm consulting business. The book includes detailed information on earthworks; gravity-fed water systems; species composition; the site-design process; site management; fuelwood hedge production and processing; human health and nutrient-dense production strategies; rapid topsoil formation and remineralization; agroforestry/silvopasture/grazing; ecosystem services, especially regarding flood mitigation; fertility management; human labor and social-systems aspects; tools/equipment/appropriate technology; and much more, complete with gorgeous photography and detailed design drawings. The Resilient Farm and Homestead is more than just a book of tricks and techniques for regenerative site development, but offers actual working results in living within complex farm-ecosystems based on research from the "great thinkers" in permaculture, and presents a viable home-scale model for an intentional food-producing ecosystem in cold climates, and beyond. Inspiring to would-be homesteaders everywhere, but especially for those who find themselves with "unlikely" farming land, Falk is an inspiration in what can be done by imitating natural systems, and making the most of what we have by re-imagining what's possible. A gorgeous case study for the homestead of the future.

Patina Farm
Patina Farm

Author: Brooke Giannetti

Publisher: Gibbs Smith

Published: 2016-06-24

Total Pages: 263

ISBN-13: 1423640470

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The husband and wife team behind Giannetti Home welcome readers into their gorgeous farm residence blending modern style with French antiques. When Brooke and Steve Giannetti decided to leave their suburban Santa Monica home to build a new life on a farm, they traveled to Belgium and France for design inspiration. In Patina Farm they share their collaborative process, as well as the enviable result of their team effort and creativity: an idyllic farm in California’s Ojai Valley. With two hundred gorgeous photographs and Steve’s architectural drawings, Brooke takes readers through their inspirations, thought process, and materials selections. Readers are given a full tour of the family home, guesthouse, lush gardens, and delightful animal quarters.

A Year at Clove Brook Farm
A Year at Clove Brook Farm

Author: Christopher Spitzmiller

Publisher: Rizzoli Publications

Published: 2021-03-09

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 0847869741

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Welcome to a year of sustainable living with renowned ceramicist Christopher Spitzmiller, with advice and inspiration for seasonal entertaining, gardening, tending heritage chickens, and more. Christopher Spitzmiller is known to his many friends and Instagram fans as the ultimate weekend farmer, who raises his own chicks, grows his own flowers, and puts up his own jam, cider, and honey. In his first book, he treats readers to a full year at his country retreat, Clove Brook Farm. Organized into four sections by season, the book begins with spring: the lilacs and appleblossoms, the dovecote with Indian fantail pigeons, Easter lunch, with daffodils and porcelain, and Spitzmiller's recipe for rhubarb pie. Summer brings hydrangeas, dahlias, readying the chickens for the Dutchess County Fair, and a garden cocktail party. Fall focuses on collecting, cider making, an orchard luncheon and a Thanksgiving table, honey-gathering, and planting bulbs. Winter closes the book with holiday decorating, gilding allium, a holiday buffet, and homemade gifts. Filled with tips on creating beautiful seasonal flower arrangements, living with animals, and garden planning, this is a wonderful resource and gift for anyone longing for farmstead living.