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A long, pendantic denouncement of technology:
I was excited to receive Joel Salatin's book, Family Friendly Farming, as I also am a Christian in a farming area, and a strong believer in good stewardship of the land. I have now read the entire book. It is simply a wandering diatribe of Salatin's beliefs about farming, with no hands-on, practical information whatsoever. The book is, to say the least, pedantic. Salatin's paradigm (his favorite word, found at least once per page)of farming entails a return to the 1800's, with the use of as antiquated, labor-intensive equipment as possible. Children are to be used as farm labor and, if they do not show enthusiasm, are to be disowned, and the farm given to someone more deserving (provided that someone has no dyed hair, no baggy pants, no earrings, no matted hair -- the list goes on and on). As for retirement planning for farming couples -- just say no. Salatin believes farmers in their 40's and 50's should not plan to financially support their own retirement -- after all, their children (or someone more grateful) will take care of them in their old age. As a medical provider, I was especially appalled that Salatin suggested to parents of autistic children that the childhood vaccines they gave to their children may have caused their condition, and added someone-once-told-me evidence that 90% of children with special needs can be "straightened up" with a diet that avoids processed sugar for a couple of days. Of course, I am one of those women with a job outside of the home, which he venomously denounces. In deference to our common beliefs, I am placing Family Friendly Farming in our compost heap. Believe me, that is where it belongs.
Inspired my family to change and follow our dreams:
Family Friendly Farming is about the recentering of your family on the important parts like your children. Every agrarian should read this book, kids or no kids. Do you want your hard work today to be carried on , or subdivided into housing? This book was inspiring to my husband and I. After reading Pastured Poultry, we purchased all of them, as well as other small farm books and have completely changed our lives. We moved to a state with less restricitve, and more farmer friendly laws, and are working towards getting a small farm for ourselves and our kids. Joel offers alternatives to passing on the farm in Trusts, etc. Let yourself be inspired to dream!
A must have.:
I have read all but one of Joel Salatins books and every page is like feasting on chocolate. I have not been able to put them down. His wonderful books underline what is so important to me and they easily explain how to make family friendly farming work for you. No bells, no whistles, just pure simple advice. His Faith in God shows in all his words, as well as his love for his family and his lifesyle. We have been trying to find a way out of this rat race that we find ourselves in and want to give our children and ourselves a way to enjoy the land and Gods simple pleasures. Our dreams have changed, and we are going to do everything we can to make that dream happen for us and our children. We homeschool already and are ready to take that next step. Joel Salatins books are the best investment we have ever made in our lives to date.
A Life Changing Book!:
After reading this book, we have definitively decided to move so that we can begin hobby farming with the goal of creating a life sustaining farm! Joel Salatin's philosophies (from this book, You Can Farm, Pastured Poultry Profits, and Salad Bar Beef) will be the foundation in which we build our family friendly farm. A must read if you are a parent (on the farm or not!), you are thinking about farming, dream of farming, or are already on the farm and want to make your lifestyle more family friendly. Thanks Joel!
Good views:
I am a firm believer in all of Joel Salatin's views and concepts regarding farming, and have personally put into action many of his concepts. This book, unlike his other books, talks more about the proper philosophy of farming rather than actual methods of farming. Even so, this book is by far worth the money and I highly recommend it.
| Author: | Joel Salatin | | Binding: | Paperback | | Dewey Decimal Number: | 338 | | EAN: | 9780963810939 | | Edition: | 1st | | ISBN: | 0963810936 | | Number Of Pages: | 350 | | Publication Date: | 2001-09-01 |
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