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Mark Shepard explains how we can have all of the benefits of natural, perennial ecosystems and create agricultural systems that imitate nature in form and function while still providing for our food, building, fuel and many other needs.

One of the leading authorities on biological farming, Gary Zimmer is recognized for improving farming by restoring soils. Arguing that an optimally productive soil contains a balance of inorganic minerals, organic materials and living organisms, he relies less on modern improvements than on "the things we've learned by improving fertility in a natural, sustainable way over many years." This book offers invaluable scientific support for committed organic farmers as well as conventional farmers who'd like to reduce chemical inputs and use natural processes to their advantage. Advancing Biological Farming updates and expands upon Gary Zimmer's classic, The Biological Farmer. Technically precise yet written in friendly language, this book is for everyone who wants a future in biological farming.

Subtitle: How a sharecropper's son discovered a world of talking plants, smart insects, and natural solutionsIncludes an introduction by John Ikerd and a foreword by Mark Schatzker.Joe Lewis grew up poor on a Mississippi cotton farm without electricity or running water. And yet it was a rich life - one lived in close proximity to family and nature. Because of a childhood spent around mules, chickens and insects of every kind, Lewis developed a deep and abiding curiosity for the creatures of the natural world. That led him on a trajectory to become an award-winning entomologist with the USDA-ARS at the Tifton Campus, University of Georgia.During his 40-year career, Lewis discovered how plants use "SOS" signals to recruit beneficial insects to their defense. In 2008, he was awarded the coveted Wolf Prize in Agriculture for this groundbreaking work. In his new book, Lewis looks back on his charmed childhood and distinguished scientific career while tracing our industrialized country's increasing alienation from nature.Lewis believes we can reconnect with nature through learning to speak a new language of co-existence and cooperation - both in our agriculture and our everyday lives. This coming-of-age tale will inspire anyone interested in agriculture, talking plants and smart insects.Includes a foreword by Mark Schatzker. Preface by John Ikerd.

Whether you're a serious home gardener or a full-time farmer, A Growers Guide for Balancing Soils will help you expand your understanding of the science behind plant nutrition. It all starts with the soil, but, as you'll read, just spreading compost and hoping for the best isn't a strategy for success.Drawing on 40 years of experience using the Albrecht philosophy of balancing soils, William McKibben will walk you through a data-driven, time-tested process that starts with soil analysis, but doesn't stop there. Productive soil that has the right balance of bio-available minerals and maximizes crop production and quality is the goal, and McKibben outlines a common-sense approach for how to get there.For example, readers will learn how to: build a more complete soil-health management system;balance pH consistently across your fields with mineral balancing;create more resilient crops by knowing how soil health affects disease and pest pressure;and convert raw testing data into real action.For both organic and conventional farmers, A Growers Guide for Balancing Soils dives deep into how macro-nutrients such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium and sulfur - along with potassium and micronutrients (cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, nickel, and zinc) - affect the development of healthy crops. It's a problem-solver's handbook for building soil health.

Part of the joy and wonder of farming lies in the changing of the seasons: plant¬ing, calving, tilling, milking, harvest . . . As the seasons pass, any dairy or cattle operation will see its share of problems crop up as well, many with seasonal regularity. Acclaimed holistic veterinarian Hubert Karreman calls on his nearly thirty years of experience in organic and holistic medicine to guide you on how to recognize, treat and prevent a year's worth of problems with your beef or dairy herd. From pneumonia in the winter to heat stroke in the summer, this farmer-friendly book will introduce early detection techniques, prevention methods, and the most effective organic-certified treatments available for livestock animals. The practical advice held within this book will equip the reader with the tools to prepare for the worst so that more time can be devoted to living life to its fullest, along¬side all the life that calls to us and relies upon us just as we rely on it, life that we will see everywhere if we but stop and deeply breathe in the scent of the seasons.