Find farming history books you'll love

The Salatin Semester: A Complete Home Study Course in Polyface-Style Diversified Farming

John Deere Industrials

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)

Polyface Designs A Comprehensive Construction Guide for Scalable Farming Infrastructure

<b>A comprehensive how-to manual of Polyface Farm’s signature designs—with tips, tricks, and a half century of lessons learned through trial and error.</b> <br>Have you wondered how to build the Polyface broiler shelter, or the dolly to move it, or an Eggmobile, Gobbledygo or Shademobile? For folks getting started, folks adding enterprises, or folks wanting a cheaper bootstrap way to build portable livestock infrastructure, Polyface Designs has all the diagrams and do-it-yourself building specifications. <br>Joel Salatin wrote the text and Polyface former apprentice and engineer extraordinaire Chris Slattery did the drawings. Ultimately practical, the book includes how to build a corral, a home-made head gate and even how to select the right axle for your project. Square footage requirements for the deep bedding hay shed and area advice for pig pastures make this the definitive repository for a lifetime of Polyface experimentation. A massive volume, its 568 pages are in full color and beautiful enough to be a coffee table book even though you’ll use it in your shop. Don’t let the cover price scare you; one building tip can more than save the price of the book.

Homestead Tsunami Good for Country, Critters, and Kids

<b>From his 66-year farm, food, and family experience, Joel Salatin explains why thousands of Americans are selling their urban homes, cashing out retirement funds, and heading to the country. The exodus is both a goodbye to one life and an embrace of another.</b><br><br>When society breaks down, people head away from the city. For food security, health, and satisfaction, homesteads offer a haven of hope and help when much seems hopeless and helpless.<br><br>While fear motivates people to change, only faith sustains. This book offers multiple reasons for modern homestead living. Some are:<br>• Secure, stable, safe food.<br>• Healthy, happy children.<br>• Superior immune function.<br>• Community and connections.<br>• Meaningful work.<br>• Creation stewardship immersion.<br><br>In his 16th book, Salatin offers the homestead why to those contemplating the jump, those trying to dissuade their friends from jumping, and those who regret having jumped. Despite its sweat and disappointments, homesteading offers incalculable benefits that feed the soul, soil, and spirit.<br><br><i>Homestead Tsunami</i> digs deep into the ethos of today’s best pension plan: living and learning proximate to people who know how to build things, repair, things and grow things. A better life awaits.

Machinery Replacement Strategies

Equipment Life Potential; Factors Determining Net Unit Costs; Increasing Capacity Cost-Effectively; Comparing Replacement Alternatives; Tax Planning Strategies; Effect of Tax Bracket on Costs; Financing Machinery Replacements; Term Debt & Replacement Capacity Ratios; When to Trade; Break-Even Point for Ownership; How Many Machines to Own; Timeliness Costs. The software program is designed to work on DOS operating systems & requires 510 Kilobytes of free memory. Instructions for installing & operating the computer program are included in the paper book. Includes software to run your own machinery replacement analysis.

John Deere Tractors and Equipment

Here are John Deere tractors as youve never seen them! Don Macmillan continues the intriguing saga of this well-known product line with the help of retired Deere & Company engineer Roy Harrington. Volume Two picks up where Volume One left off, covering the years 1960 through 1990 in a very enjoyable and informative 400 pages. Get the inside story of Deere & Company in the modern period of the past 30 years. Enjoy the inside stories behind the development, plus over 700 photographs, including some equipment that has never been produced. The appendices include Nebraska test results, specifications, serial numbers, and more creating the ultimate must have for all John Deere enthusiasts. Hours of enjoyable reading now, a collectors item in the future.

Tires and Tracks

<p>Covers all types of modern-day tires - auto, truck, implement, tractor, & large off-road types. Tells how tires are constructed, rated, sized, inflated, & ballasted. Has illustrated explanation of tire failures & proper repair. Includes such topics as fabric breaks, rubber checks, spinning & stubble wear, tread & sidewall cuts, grease & oil damage, & valve damage. Tells how to mount & demount. Text also covers crawler tracks - how they're constructed, lubricated, adjusted, & inspected for wear. Shows how tracks are disassembled & repaired using a track press. CONTENTS: Tires - Construction, inflation, ballasting, tire failures, tire repairs & mounting & demounting. Tracks - Construction, inspection, lubrication, adjustments, diagnosis of wear & repairing tracks.</p>

John Deere Tractors

To farmers the world over, there's no tractor like a John Deere. The history of Deere's development of the farm tractor and its fight to be number one in the business is chronicled here, based on interviews with the designers, engineers, dealers, and farmers that made Deere famous. John Deere Tractors tells the story with more than 250 stunning color photographs and rare archival pictures of all the legendary Deere tractors. Here they all are, from early experiments to the Waterloo Boy, the Model D, the great Johnny Poppers, and on to the modern four- and six-cylinder models. Packed with colorful stories, anecdotes, never-before-seen styling drawings, and pictures of experimental tractors, this is the story fo all the great John Deere farm tractors.

International Harvester Scout The Complete Illustrated History

<p>In 1953 International Harvester added a proto-SUV to their lineup: the Travelall. Several years later, someone at IH decided it was time for something different. Without any production definition to use as a guide, head designer Ted Ornas was told “design something to replace the horse”. The result was the famous Scout 80.<br><br>Making its debut in late 1960, the Scout set the stage for 4-wheel drive utility vehicles of the '70s, '80s, and '90s, and today enjoys cult-status among automotive and truck enthusiasts. Michael Banks documents the success story from the 1950s Travelall to the Scout 80, 800, 810, and Scout II versions, also covers variations like the Terra and Spirit.</p>

Red Combines 1915-2015 The Authoritative Guide to International Harvester and Case IH Combines and Harvesting Equipment

<p>This award-winning book chronicles the complete story of the red combine's impact on agriculture and society. Co-authored by long-time IH and Case IH product manager Gerry Salzman, Red Combines 1915-2020 is a unique collaboration that featured Klancher's storytelling ability and Salzman's knowledge from 42 years as an industry leader and insider. The book includes photographs and details about every International Harvester and Case IH combine built in the United States and abroad, and tells the story of the creation of the Axial-Flow combine, which was developed in a garage so secret only a few people knew it existed. The Axial-Flow combine was a technological leap that transformed the industry when introduced in 1977. The book covers the entire line of red combines, including the CBX, a top-secret mega-combine built in the 1990s. Also included is brief coverage of J.I. Case combines. Authored by Lee Klancher and the team of talented contributors who created the award-winning Red Tractors 1958-2013, this thorough and entertaining book is another captivating volume sure to please fans of agricultural equipment and farm history.</p>