Books in Animal Husbandry

A Bunch of Sheep on Every Farm

This special re-print edition of International Harvester's book "A Bunch of Sheep on Every Farm" contains all the information a person needs to master the basics of breeding and raising Sheep for lamb or wool production. Written in 1918, this short book provides a basic overview of sheep management for the beginner and explains the advantages of raising sheep on the small farm. Note: This edition is a perfect facsimile of the original edition and is not set in a modern typeface. As a result, some type characters and images might suffer from slight imperfections or minor shadows in the page background.

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Dirt to Soil One Family’s Journey into Regenerative Agriculture

“A regenerative no-till pioneer.”—NBC News “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 Animals in Translation “Dirt to Soil is the [regenerative farming] movements’s holy text.”—The Observer 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. 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. In Dirt to Soil 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: <ul><li>Limited Disturbance</li><li>Armor</li><li>Diversity</li><li>Living Roots</li><li>Integrated Animals</li></ul> 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. 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 life on the land—more plants, animals, and beneficial insects. “The greatest roadblock to solving a problem,” Brown says, “is the human mind.” See Gabe Brown―author and farmer―in the award-winning documentaries Kiss the Ground and Common Ground!

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Farm and Ranch Business Management

Developed with the cooperation of the National FFA Farm Business Management Contest Committee, this book remains the definite text on managing a farm or ranch on sound business principles. An important key to the survival of the farm and ranch is good business management. The new breed of farmer and rancher that is emerging must know how to apply management principles to their operation in order to make the most profit. They must be able to compete and win in a highly volatile worldwide commodity marketplace. Being able to do so requires extensive knowledge of all aspects of the business. Until the First Edition of this book, a serious gap existed in the quest for this knowledge. In response, Deere & Company developed Farm and Ranch Business Management. This was and is a basic book that is the first word on the subject. The experts, as a practical guide for the agribusiness manager, wrote it. It explains in plain English the principles and techniques that every farmer and rancher must know.

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Farm and Ranch Business Management An Introduction to Sound Management Practices

1 volume (various pagings) : 28 cm

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Managing Livestock Production

Now for the first time, raising livestock is examined not just from the production side, but from the management side. This books strong point is its integration of the major aspects of livestock management under one cover: production, finance, economics, and marketing in one clear and thorough book. Agriculture is the foundation upon which society survives, because it satisfies peoples needs for food, clothing, and shelter. Agriculture touches upon many subjects, including crop and animal production, economics, farm management and international trade. The American agricultural system has been the crowning success and envy of the world. At the same time, U.S. farmers are faced with shrinking markets, greater global competition, and a host of other economic factors over which they have no control. Marketing, risk management, cost reduction, and finance are becoming dominant factors in successful agribusinesses. Within the American agricultural system livestock production is significant in terms of consumer demand and economic activity. However, livestock producers no longer can afford to focus only on production. Producers who manage livestock operations must also be concerned with credit, finance, economics, and marketing. This book addresses the beef, hog, and sheep components of the livestock industry. Not only are production methods described, but also processing and distribution, marketing, risk management, and cost reduction issues are examined. These issues introduce the pricing mechanism and the affect on profits of many diverse factors. Our goal is to help you succeed in a highly competitive, highly volatile marketplace.

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Managing Livestock Production

Scope of U.S. Livestock Management; Historical perspective of Beef Industry; Cow/Calf Enterprise; Stocker/Backgrounding; Finishing Steers & Heifers; Financial Statements & Ratios; Historical Perspective of Hog Industry; Sow Farrowing; Growing/Finishing; Obtaining Credit for Livestock Production; Criteria for Determining Credit Worthiness; Historical Perspective of Sheep Brushing; Ewe Flock; Lamb Finishing; Maximizing Your Profit; Investment Analysis; An In-Depth Examination of Risk; Management, Marketing, Cost Reduction; Economic Analysis & Performance Measures. 1st edition, 272 pages with nearly 500 illustrations, many in color. (ISBN 0-86691-178-2).

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Pastured Poultry Profits

A couple working six months per year for 50 hours per week on 20 acres can net $25,000-$30,000 per year with an investment equivalent to the price of one new medium-sized tractor. Seldom has agriculture held out such a plum. In a day when main-line farm experts predict the continued demise of the family farm, the pastured poultry opportunity shines like a beacon in the night, guiding the way to a brighter future.

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Polyface Micro Success with Livestock on a Homestead Scale

“I love your ideas, but I only have a few acres. How do I do this at my scale?” Success with domestic livestock does not require large land bases. Joel Salatin and his family’s Polyface Farm in Virginia lead the world in animal-friendly and ecologically authentic, commercial, pasture-based livestock production. In Polyface Micro he adapts the ideas and protocols to small holdings (including apartments)! Homesteaders can increase production, enjoy healthy animals, and create aesthetically and aromatically pleasant livestock systems. Whether you’re a new or seasoned homesteader, you’ll find tips and inspiration as Joel coaches you toward success and abundance.

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Salad Bar Beef

In a day when beef is assailed by many environmental organizations and lauded by fast-food chains, a new paradigm to bring reason to this confusion is in order. With farmers leaving the land in droves and plows poised to "reclaim" set-aside acres, it is time to offer an alternative that is both land and farmer friendly. Beyond that, the salad bar beef production model offers hope to rural communities, to struggling row-crop farmers, and to frustrated beef eaters who do not want to encourage desertification, air and water pollution, environmental degradation and inhumane animal treatment. Because this is a program weighted toward creativity, management, entrepreneurism and observation, it breathes fresh air into farm economics.

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