The Entrepreneur's Guide to Start & Succeed in a Farming Enterprise
Joel Salatin
480pp.
Holy Cows and Hog Heaven may be the best introduction to Joel Salatin and his work, and Family Friendly Farming may be his most important book, but this one is our favorite. Why? Because Joel Salatin knows how to think through a problem, and the reader can learn an awful lot about practical thinking by following along as he lays out a straightforward and thorough plan for reaching an ambitious goal, namely starting and operating a small scale farm.
Salatin's common sense is astonishing. He insists that the reader never take large steps when small ones will do. There's no point in acquiring acreage if you haven't yet planted and tended a garden in your backyard—and, more importantly, if you haven't tried to sell some of your backyard produce down at the local farmer's market. There's no point in setting out to raise a thousand broiler chickens if you haven't yet raised a few for your own family's use—and decided that such chickens are far superior to what is available at the supermarket. There may not even be any point in buying land, since doing so would tie up precious capital, while at the same time there are agricultural landowners who are desparate for farmers to rent and work their property.
While the ultimate goal is the creation of a small scale farm which will provide a living for a multi-generational family, Salatin lays out a roadmap where each phase is not only a step towards the goal but is an incremental improvement by itself. Even before coming anywhere close to achieving the goal, life is much better: a family's food is cleaner, healthier, and tastier; less money needs to be earned; and the entire family is able to contribute to the household economy. Even if the ultimate goal is never reached, the journey itself yields significant benefits.
Although Salatin's focus is on small scale farming, his approach to the problem can be applied to any home-based business opportunity. If you're looking for help in leaving wage slavery behind and reducing your dependence on the grid, we think this book will be a great help to you as you ponder the matter.
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