What do you think?
Rate this book
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.
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.
384 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1996
176 people are currently reading
685 people want to read
About the author
Joel Salatin
59 books669 followersJoel F. Salatin is an American farmer, lecturer, and author.
Salatin raises livestock on his Polyface Farm in Swoope, Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley. Meat from the farm is sold by direct marketing to consumers and restaurants.
Salatin raises livestock on his Polyface Farm in Swoope, Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley. Meat from the farm is sold by direct marketing to consumers and restaurants.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
December 21, 2011
I have mixed feelings as I sit down to write this. See, Joel Salatin is something of a hero of mine. A little over two years ago, I found myself trying to get by on odd jobs and feeling like the only path to a life of farming was to land a salaried position somewhere that would pay enough for me to get a mortgage to pay the $100K-$500K necessary to get a farm. As there seemed little hope of that happening, I was feeling pretty defeated.
Then I read Joel's book, "You Can Farm," which told me I was going about it entirely the wrong way. He, like other authors, said not to buy a farm unless you can pay cash for it and have enough money saved up to live on for a year. I didn't want to hear that, as it just put my dream further out of reach. BUT...he went on to say that buying land wasn't necessary for farming. Buying land, he stressed, was a wealth preservation strategy--somewhere to invest your amassed wealth so that it didn't lose value--while farming rented land was a wealth acquisition strategy. I had been thinking that if I was paying rent for land, that would eat up any money I'd make farming it. But that happens with a mortgage, too. Paying rent on a small parcel puts it more within reach.
Acting on that advice, I found a friend in the country who rented me her large yard/former cow pasture to use as a vegetable garden while I raise chickens in my own backyard. It was too far away for me to give the garden the attention it needed and my tiller wouldn't work, so the garden was a flop...but it got me started. I had gotten my licenses and rented a spot at a farmers market, and I was selling frozen chicken, as well as some occasional tomatoes. From there, I started looking for other parcels closer to home. The next year (last year), I started a vegetable CSA. Only five members, but it's progress. Also last year, my wife and I bought land--almost five acres and a (run down) 4br, 2bath house for $25K...just two blocks from where we live now. This year, I've been gardening on someone else's land while improving our own. The wheels have been set in motion, all because Joel Salatin pointed me toward an alternative entry point.
Earlier this year, I was invited to speak at the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association's annual convention where Joel Salatin was one of the keynote speakers. I got to thank him in person. I disagree with him considerably on issues of religion and politics, but I like the man, and I owed him a debt of gratitude.
In "You Can Farm," he made reference to this book, "Salad Bar Beef," and said that it laid out how a person who had nothing could start raising cattle. This excited me, and based on my success getting started farming without owning a farm, I believed him. I looked for this book at the library, but they didn't carry it. I finally bought it, and indeed, it repeats the claim right there in the beginning of the book--"You can start raising cattle with nothing other than some fencing and a pair of walking shoes," (or something to that effect). He says it at least twice, I think once in the intro and once in the first chapter, like a Sham-Wow salesman trying to build up the anticipation. He has a detailed plan that will enable a person who has nothing but shoes and a roll of fence to start raising cattle.
Oh, and a water tank. Okay, no problem. That's just a few hundred dollars at most. Cattle sell for thousands. He's going to tell us how to turn our roll of fence wire, pair of shoes, and a water tank into money from selling our own grass-fed beef. Oh boy!
Then he gets into a chapter on water. I found this to be an incredibly useful chapter, as I'm developing irrigation systems for my gardens and would like to turn the catch basin on my property into a pond, and a lot of his information is relevant. But it's also expensive. At one point in the chapter, after describing a few different options for pumping water out to your cows' water tank, he says that however you do it, it's going to cost some money.
Well, damn, Joel. You seem to have forgotten that part back when you were making your claims about fence wire and walking shoes. The hundreds to thousands of dollars for pipes, fittings, a pump, and a power supply all just sort of slipped your mind when you were making the claims that incited me to lay out twenty-some dollars for the book.
I'm still gullible enough to be waiting to see how I obtain pasture, cattle, and a stock trailer, all without paying for them.
That said, I'm already getting a lot out of this book. So far--and I'm skipping through it, as the first couple chapters seem to be a sales pitch on why you ought to want to raise grass-fed beef and sell it directly to end consumers (if I wasn't already sold on that, why would I have bought the book?)--it seems to be more about the ecology of pasture than it is about cows. He says that there are three basic types of habitats: open land, forests, and water. While some species prefer just one of these, most (terrestrial) species, he says, prefer two. He points out that a lot of the birds they rely on for insect control in their pastures will not feed more than 200 yards away from forest. This is the real reason he considers forests to be a necessary part of a farm. It's not just the free fence posts and wood chips. Furthermore, as he goes on about these necessary species that live on the edges of forest and open land, he says that they're good for gardens as well as pastures.
Well, shoot. This land we bought is mostly wooded, and being a lover of forests, I've been loathe to cut down any trees. But it's SO forested that I have little room to grow anything (other than maybe mushrooms and ginseng) and I have to keep relying on other people to let me use their yards for gardening. This is silly, to buy five acres and then have to use somebody else's land...but I didn't want to destroy any forest. There's a sort-of-open part that I had decided to open up completely for a garden, but I still felt bad about it.
Now here comes Joel Salatin telling me it will actually do the wildlife some good to have a clearing in the woods. The garden will still be surrounded by forests, but apparently, by cutting down trees where there's already some grass growing, I'll attract new species, some of which will be helpful. Last night, I started cutting down trees, stripping them of their bark so I can use them for a new perch for my hens.
In all likelihood, I won't be raising cattle anytime in the near future, but I still think I'm going to get a lot out of this book...even if it's not what the author was promising.
Then I read Joel's book, "You Can Farm," which told me I was going about it entirely the wrong way. He, like other authors, said not to buy a farm unless you can pay cash for it and have enough money saved up to live on for a year. I didn't want to hear that, as it just put my dream further out of reach. BUT...he went on to say that buying land wasn't necessary for farming. Buying land, he stressed, was a wealth preservation strategy--somewhere to invest your amassed wealth so that it didn't lose value--while farming rented land was a wealth acquisition strategy. I had been thinking that if I was paying rent for land, that would eat up any money I'd make farming it. But that happens with a mortgage, too. Paying rent on a small parcel puts it more within reach.
Acting on that advice, I found a friend in the country who rented me her large yard/former cow pasture to use as a vegetable garden while I raise chickens in my own backyard. It was too far away for me to give the garden the attention it needed and my tiller wouldn't work, so the garden was a flop...but it got me started. I had gotten my licenses and rented a spot at a farmers market, and I was selling frozen chicken, as well as some occasional tomatoes. From there, I started looking for other parcels closer to home. The next year (last year), I started a vegetable CSA. Only five members, but it's progress. Also last year, my wife and I bought land--almost five acres and a (run down) 4br, 2bath house for $25K...just two blocks from where we live now. This year, I've been gardening on someone else's land while improving our own. The wheels have been set in motion, all because Joel Salatin pointed me toward an alternative entry point.
Earlier this year, I was invited to speak at the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association's annual convention where Joel Salatin was one of the keynote speakers. I got to thank him in person. I disagree with him considerably on issues of religion and politics, but I like the man, and I owed him a debt of gratitude.
In "You Can Farm," he made reference to this book, "Salad Bar Beef," and said that it laid out how a person who had nothing could start raising cattle. This excited me, and based on my success getting started farming without owning a farm, I believed him. I looked for this book at the library, but they didn't carry it. I finally bought it, and indeed, it repeats the claim right there in the beginning of the book--"You can start raising cattle with nothing other than some fencing and a pair of walking shoes," (or something to that effect). He says it at least twice, I think once in the intro and once in the first chapter, like a Sham-Wow salesman trying to build up the anticipation. He has a detailed plan that will enable a person who has nothing but shoes and a roll of fence to start raising cattle.
Oh, and a water tank. Okay, no problem. That's just a few hundred dollars at most. Cattle sell for thousands. He's going to tell us how to turn our roll of fence wire, pair of shoes, and a water tank into money from selling our own grass-fed beef. Oh boy!
Then he gets into a chapter on water. I found this to be an incredibly useful chapter, as I'm developing irrigation systems for my gardens and would like to turn the catch basin on my property into a pond, and a lot of his information is relevant. But it's also expensive. At one point in the chapter, after describing a few different options for pumping water out to your cows' water tank, he says that however you do it, it's going to cost some money.
Well, damn, Joel. You seem to have forgotten that part back when you were making your claims about fence wire and walking shoes. The hundreds to thousands of dollars for pipes, fittings, a pump, and a power supply all just sort of slipped your mind when you were making the claims that incited me to lay out twenty-some dollars for the book.
I'm still gullible enough to be waiting to see how I obtain pasture, cattle, and a stock trailer, all without paying for them.
That said, I'm already getting a lot out of this book. So far--and I'm skipping through it, as the first couple chapters seem to be a sales pitch on why you ought to want to raise grass-fed beef and sell it directly to end consumers (if I wasn't already sold on that, why would I have bought the book?)--it seems to be more about the ecology of pasture than it is about cows. He says that there are three basic types of habitats: open land, forests, and water. While some species prefer just one of these, most (terrestrial) species, he says, prefer two. He points out that a lot of the birds they rely on for insect control in their pastures will not feed more than 200 yards away from forest. This is the real reason he considers forests to be a necessary part of a farm. It's not just the free fence posts and wood chips. Furthermore, as he goes on about these necessary species that live on the edges of forest and open land, he says that they're good for gardens as well as pastures.
Well, shoot. This land we bought is mostly wooded, and being a lover of forests, I've been loathe to cut down any trees. But it's SO forested that I have little room to grow anything (other than maybe mushrooms and ginseng) and I have to keep relying on other people to let me use their yards for gardening. This is silly, to buy five acres and then have to use somebody else's land...but I didn't want to destroy any forest. There's a sort-of-open part that I had decided to open up completely for a garden, but I still felt bad about it.
Now here comes Joel Salatin telling me it will actually do the wildlife some good to have a clearing in the woods. The garden will still be surrounded by forests, but apparently, by cutting down trees where there's already some grass growing, I'll attract new species, some of which will be helpful. Last night, I started cutting down trees, stripping them of their bark so I can use them for a new perch for my hens.
In all likelihood, I won't be raising cattle anytime in the near future, but I still think I'm going to get a lot out of this book...even if it's not what the author was promising.
June 29, 2008
Another book about farming that focuses on the cleanest and most humane way to raise cattle. This guy tends to rant a bit about how our system is so messed up and unsustainable. His book reads like a how-to guide for someone looking to raise cattle however he is really choppy in getting his points across due to his random tangents. His methods are fascinating and extremely efficient with regards to cost and labor. I really like the concepts presented in the book but his utopian value system seems to condemn a few things that have made living in this country special.
April 28, 2020
as a non farmer, non rancher, this book gives you a lot to think about. it fits my philosophy on life and health, so maybe that is why I connected well with it.
I will never look at cows or pastures the same.
I will never look at cows or pastures the same.
August 31, 2021
Mr. Salatin has some excellent ideas for raising cows that doesn't involve acres of corn and liquid manure, which is not very sustainable in the long run, but his method works as he's been in business for thirty years, with increasing growth, carefully managed.
I first met Mr. Salatin through Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, and as I was looking for a low-cost option to start raising my own food and possibly food for other people, I looked into this book. I have 106 highlights scattered throughout the book and a list of other books to look at.
He is very libertarian and a touch contrarian, and his principles honed by years of experience with dealing with the government in all flavors from local to federal, but that doesn't negate the fact that with some paying attention to the world around you, and not buying expensive additives (I'm a gardener, and still learning and I've priced things for my plants that made my pocketbook wince) or getting expensive equipment right off the bat, you can make enough to raise a family while also keeping your livestock fed and cared for, in a clean environment.
I was never interested in farming when I was younger, even though I come from farmers on both sides of the tree simply because, in my experience, farms were gross, especially chicken farms. Now I live near a dairy operation, and it gets ripe in the summer when they spray the fields with liquid manure. But Joel Salatin in his book spoke at length his techniques: frequent rotation through grazing fields, using chickens after the cows, and using bedding in the winter, keeping them in a hay shed, then using pigs each spring to till up the bedding & manure. Nothing's wasted. The chickens make eggs that are sold/used as marketing; the chickens are butchered and processed and sold, and the pigs become dinner once they're large enough. And of course, the cows are processed/sold as needed.
And now, I've been in research mode, reading as much as I could on various methods like square foot gardening, Ruth Stout's no dig mulching technique and, of course, keeping livestock.
I recommend the book if you're interested in reading alternative ways of farming, and can cope with a strong Christian libertarian bent to many of his words.
I first met Mr. Salatin through Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, and as I was looking for a low-cost option to start raising my own food and possibly food for other people, I looked into this book. I have 106 highlights scattered throughout the book and a list of other books to look at.
He is very libertarian and a touch contrarian, and his principles honed by years of experience with dealing with the government in all flavors from local to federal, but that doesn't negate the fact that with some paying attention to the world around you, and not buying expensive additives (I'm a gardener, and still learning and I've priced things for my plants that made my pocketbook wince) or getting expensive equipment right off the bat, you can make enough to raise a family while also keeping your livestock fed and cared for, in a clean environment.
I was never interested in farming when I was younger, even though I come from farmers on both sides of the tree simply because, in my experience, farms were gross, especially chicken farms. Now I live near a dairy operation, and it gets ripe in the summer when they spray the fields with liquid manure. But Joel Salatin in his book spoke at length his techniques: frequent rotation through grazing fields, using chickens after the cows, and using bedding in the winter, keeping them in a hay shed, then using pigs each spring to till up the bedding & manure. Nothing's wasted. The chickens make eggs that are sold/used as marketing; the chickens are butchered and processed and sold, and the pigs become dinner once they're large enough. And of course, the cows are processed/sold as needed.
And now, I've been in research mode, reading as much as I could on various methods like square foot gardening, Ruth Stout's no dig mulching technique and, of course, keeping livestock.
I recommend the book if you're interested in reading alternative ways of farming, and can cope with a strong Christian libertarian bent to many of his words.
March 29, 2023
amazing book
This is a great book for any fledgling or experienced farmer wanting to produce quality beef. Joel’s tried and true methods of raising beef on 100% pasture, using intensive grazing methods are truly amazing. Please do not listen to the 1 and 2 star ratings from people who’ve never farmed or understand what he’s doing and get bent outa shape and their feelings hurt because Joel is strait forward and tells it like it is. Facts are facts people. If you can’t handle it, tough. If you’re gonna turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the current food situation, if you want to stubbornly listen to the food police ( usda ) and Tyson and the industrial agriculturalists agenda, then do so, at the cost of your health and that of your family. End of story.
This is a great book for any fledgling or experienced farmer wanting to produce quality beef. Joel’s tried and true methods of raising beef on 100% pasture, using intensive grazing methods are truly amazing. Please do not listen to the 1 and 2 star ratings from people who’ve never farmed or understand what he’s doing and get bent outa shape and their feelings hurt because Joel is strait forward and tells it like it is. Facts are facts people. If you can’t handle it, tough. If you’re gonna turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the current food situation, if you want to stubbornly listen to the food police ( usda ) and Tyson and the industrial agriculturalists agenda, then do so, at the cost of your health and that of your family. End of story.
December 10, 2017
Igual que el anterior, este libro necesita actualizarse 22 años.
Lo bueno, es un esquema completamente diferente, probado y que continua funcionando. Lo malo, no me encanta la personalidad poquito anarquista. Primero es el pasto, luego los rumiantes y al final las aves. Go figure.
Lo bueno, es un esquema completamente diferente, probado y que continua funcionando. Lo malo, no me encanta la personalidad poquito anarquista. Primero es el pasto, luego los rumiantes y al final las aves. Go figure.
May 5, 2017
Loved it, especially the sarcastic comments throughout, humour is a winner. Makes sense, implementing his ideas into our farm currently.
Read
November 3, 2020346 pages
August 2, 2021
Must read for the small farmer.
You will learn a lot. It will change your farm for the better. Joel is on a mission to help the world.
You will learn a lot. It will change your farm for the better. Joel is on a mission to help the world.
December 15, 2021
You know it's good because of the Dollar $ignz.
June 16, 2022
Full of helpful information about how to raise grass-fed beef, manage the pastures, etc. Salatin has lots of strong opinions which makes the reading lively, and I found the book a valuable read.
January 14, 2025
I much preferred Everything I Want to do is Illegal.
This first few sections of this book didn’t seem very applicable to a new farmer/rancher wanting to set up. But the back half was much better.
This first few sections of this book didn’t seem very applicable to a new farmer/rancher wanting to set up. But the back half was much better.
May 28, 2025
Love Joel! This is more of a how to book than the bible study stuff I read last week.
March 16, 2009
This is now the third book by Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm in Virginia that I have read, and it has very much shaped my ideas about what is possible for agriculture going forward into the future. From his other books (particularly You Can Farm), I already had the basic idea of his model for raising grass-fed beef, but this book fleshed out the concepts and practices that he uses to raise what he hopes is the best beef inthe world.
From the title, you may have noticed that Salatin doesn't call it grass-fed but, instead, "Salad Bar" beef. He talks about this from a marketing standpoint, but it's also a term that's more accurate for what he's doing. Central to his project is a model for animal husbandry that listens to the animals, that gives them in many ways a salad bar of options (though grains such as the corn that conventional beef is raised on is not one of those options). It's husbandry that pays close attention to the animals and to the land, treating each with almost a reverance that is at odds with industrial production models. Research, both that which Salatin cites and that which I've read elsewhere, suggests that cattle raised the way Salatin describes (and other similar grass-fed models) offer many benefits, from food quality to better land management to a better livelihood for the farmer.
As with his other books, there is a section on marketing, as Salatin advotes direct relationships between the farmer and the customer, cutting out the middlemen both to better profit the farmer and to build greater understanding in both directions between farmer and customer. This material is only slightly changed from what is included in his other books.
At times, I wish for greater specificity, especially as someone with only a minimal farming background. Still, this is an excellent practical guide to excellent practices in raising herd animals (many of the principle also apply to sheep).
From the title, you may have noticed that Salatin doesn't call it grass-fed but, instead, "Salad Bar" beef. He talks about this from a marketing standpoint, but it's also a term that's more accurate for what he's doing. Central to his project is a model for animal husbandry that listens to the animals, that gives them in many ways a salad bar of options (though grains such as the corn that conventional beef is raised on is not one of those options). It's husbandry that pays close attention to the animals and to the land, treating each with almost a reverance that is at odds with industrial production models. Research, both that which Salatin cites and that which I've read elsewhere, suggests that cattle raised the way Salatin describes (and other similar grass-fed models) offer many benefits, from food quality to better land management to a better livelihood for the farmer.
As with his other books, there is a section on marketing, as Salatin advotes direct relationships between the farmer and the customer, cutting out the middlemen both to better profit the farmer and to build greater understanding in both directions between farmer and customer. This material is only slightly changed from what is included in his other books.
At times, I wish for greater specificity, especially as someone with only a minimal farming background. Still, this is an excellent practical guide to excellent practices in raising herd animals (many of the principle also apply to sheep).
May 26, 2009
I added this to my to-read list while I was still reading The Omnivore's Dilemma. The book is really not intended for a non-farmer audience, I think- you're supposed to read the book and then starting working on your own notebook of ideas to apply to your own farm. Author Salatin is lovably whacked, oscillating between cool-headed farmer/business owner and irascible, Christian-informed, activist, all the while staying on-topic and organized. (And you know I wouldn't describe someone as lovably whacked unless they actually were.) Other things I liked about the book: complete lack of irony, complete lack of condescension to the audience as such, and the author's insistence that one out forth the effort to determine a method that works well rather than relying on a pattern book for easy answers.
Definitely the most engaging non-fiction to hit my shelf in months.
Definitely the most engaging non-fiction to hit my shelf in months.
July 10, 2013
Highly motivating, full of step by step how to details with just the right amount of enthusiasm thrown in so you want to do it. I plan on following these techniques to the best of my ability. Books like The Omnivore's Delema only describe a problem; Salad Bar Beef offers a solution, and more than that, it tells you how to be a part of that solution! I will keep my eyes open for more books like this one!!
July 10, 2008
Another hit from Mr Salatin. I am gonna go buy some land and some cows and feed them grass!!! So far my favorite book from Joel Salatin. Not too much detail but simple clear instructions on how to do it yourself with plenty of reference for further reading with more detail. I'm actually on my way tomorrow to go to the farm for the annual field day!
February 12, 2009
I've been wanting to read this book for awhile. Who would have thought that it would actually be enjoyable. Some of the info/lingo is over my head, but most is easy to understand. Makes me excited to raise my own cows!
September 7, 2010
Decent book, full of practical tips for a small beef operation. Probably worth reading for anyone wanting to do that. Most important random fact I learned: making hay in circular bales is stupid, because the hay molds!
February 19, 2013
More people need to read this book. It explains where your food comes from and how it's produced. It explains how farmers can have a better product and gain a better profit from it while helping the environment.
February 11, 2013
I love, Love, LOVE Joel Salatin's approach to good stewardship over the land. He lays out the ways to implement management intesive grazing in such an easy-to-read format!
October 13, 2014
Fabulous true story of a farmer who uses very innovative farming techniques to make sure his animals are healthy (and better for us to eat). His land is a functioning, replenishing organic ecosystem.
February 17, 2016
Interesting to see how small farm beef is raised and slaughtered compared to the way big business does it.
July 8, 2007
This book is a great introduction to management intensive grazing with beef cattle.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews