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Weekly picks surfaced by readers who obsess over tractors, soil, and stories from the field.
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<b>“A regenerative no-till pioneer.”—NBC News<br></b><br><b><i>“</i>We need to reintegrate livestock and crops on our farms and ranches, and Gabe Brown shows us how to do it well.”—Temple Grandin, author of <i>Animals in Translation</i></b><br><b><br>“<i>Dirt to Soil</i> is the [regenerative farming] movements’s holy text.”—<i>The Observer</i></b><br><br>Gabe Brown didn’t set out to change the world when he first started working alongside his father-in-law on the family farm in North Dakota. But as a series of weather-related crop disasters put Brown and his wife, Shelly, in desperate financial straits, they started making bold changes to their farm. Brown—in an effort to simply survive—began experimenting with new practices he’d learned about from reading and talking with innovative researchers and ranchers. As he and his family struggled to keep the farm viable, they found themselves on an amazing journey into a new type of farming: regenerative agriculture.<br><br>Brown dropped the use of most of the herbicides, insecticides, and synthetic fertilizers that are a standard part of conventional agriculture. He switched to no-till planting, started planting diverse cover crops mixes, and changed his grazing practices. In so doing Brown transformed a degraded farm ecosystem into one full of life—starting with the soil and working his way up, one plant and one animal at a time.<br><br>In <i>Dirt to Soil</i> Gabe Brown tells the story of that amazing journey and offers a wealth of innovative solutions to restoring the soil by laying out and explaining his “five principles of soil health,” which are:<br><br><br><br><ul><li>Limited Disturbance</li><li>Armor</li><li>Diversity</li><li>Living Roots</li><li>Integrated Animals</li></ul><br>The Brown’s Ranch model, developed over twenty years of experimentation and refinement, focuses on regenerating resources by continuously enhancing the living biology in the soil. Using regenerative agricultural principles, Brown’s Ranch has grown several inches of new topsoil in only twenty years! The 5,000-acre ranch profitably produces a wide variety of cash crops and cover crops as well as grass-finished beef and lamb, pastured laying hens, broilers, and pastured pork, all marketed directly to consumers.<br><br>The key is how we think, Brown says. In the industrial agricultural model, all thoughts are focused on killing things. But that mindset was also killing diversity, soil, and profit, Brown realized. Now he channels his creative thinking toward how he can get more <i>life</i> on the land—more plants, animals, and beneficial insects. “The greatest roadblock to solving a problem,” Brown says, “is the human mind.”<br><b><br>See Gabe Brown―author and farmer―in the award-winning documentaries <i>Kiss the Ground </i>and <i>Common Ground</i>!</b>
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Showcases both styled and unstyled C, GP, A, and B John Deere models, Model D, Dain All-Wheel Drive, and Waterloo Boy. Other John Deere models and series, including the New Generation tractors, are featured here also. Color photos.
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Ranging from simple model variations to those machines built for specific purposes, this industrial-grade volume chronicles the "other line" of John Deere machinery. A mainstay in heavy industry and construction sites throughout the world, John Deere Industrials begins with coverage of the popular A-series with its yellow paint and the letter "I" added to the model designation that has become the hallmark of these incredible machines. (Delayed from Spring 2002)
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Ninety full-color photos and detailed captions trace the development of the very popular two-cylinder tractors and other agricultural equipment, 1837-1960, highlighting differences in design and styling and showcasing specialty tractors.
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Used to identify different plow models.
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Iconic John Deere tractors ranging from the spartan Waterloo Boy to the Model AOS, and from German and Argentine models to the acclaimed New Generation tractors are featured in this celebration of industrial tractor design. Loaded with photographs, both modern and vintage, and excellently written info, this book will have John Deere fans salivating.
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John Deere Model B Photo Archive Edited P.A. Letourneau A magnificent collection of rare black & white photographs specially selected from public and private archives promote the unique characteristics of these popular tractors. Filled with informative captions providing histories of featured models. Row-crop versions to crawlers, styled and unstyled tractors. Sftbd., 1 1/4x 8 1/2, 128 pgs., 115 b&w illustrations.
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A history of America's most important farm implement manufacturing company traces the development of Deere from the early 1800s, through the Industrial Revolution, to the present
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John Deere is one of the world's leading tractor companies and this fascinating book brings together the full account of production in both the United States and in Europe. Using modern photography and a largely chronological account of tractor development, the author provides an excellent overview of the evolution of John Deere tractors over the decades. Starting with the early two-cylinder tractors developed in the USA and moving through the creation of multi-cylinder engines after the takeover of the Lanz business in Germany, the book covers the 40 and 50 series of the late 1980s and the innovations in the 1990s when John Deere effectively re-invented the tractor with their full-frame designs. Bringing the reader right up to date with the latest designs that bristle with technological sophistication and covering the evolution of John Deere tractor development, this book will be an essential read for both John Deere enthusiasts and all those interested in the history of tractors, old and new.
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