Family Friendly Farming: A Multi-Generational Home-Based Business Testament

by Joel Salatin

Saving the landscape, rebuilding entrepreneurial rural families, and protecting nutritious food are the themes of this timeless treatise-hence the word "testament." Delving into the soul of the Salatin family's nationally acclaimed Polyface Farm, author Joel Salatin offers Family Friendly Farming as the key to dealing with resource issues, food policy, and social fabric. With humor and personal stories, he opens his family and farm convictions for all to see, share, and enjoy. Written from his unabashed "Christian libertarian environmentalist capitalist" perspective, his ideas are guaranteed to encourage and challenge virtually every "ism" in the culture. It will captivate anyone passionate about healing the land, healing families, and healing the food supply. For several decades young people have been leaving the family farm. The ones left behind are now responsible for society's greatest clean land and clean food. Anyone dedicated to preserving these resources will find in these pages a nongovernmental, self-empowerment approach to environmentalism and food safety. The heart of this book is aimed toward parents tired of their Dilbert cubicle at the end of the expressway who want to reconnect with their children through a pastoral lifestyle. It's written for anyone who yearns to grow old working with and being adored by value-sharing grandchildren and honored by passionate, productive adult children. Family Friendly Farming can make any family business more viable and any family more functional. The ten-chapter section on how to get the kids to love the farm is an invaluable addition to any collection of child-rearing manuals. Salatin moves from the family team-building section into a practical discussion on how to increase income per acre and create new, white-collar salaries without buying more land, equipment, or buildings. He deals with the unique and thorny issues surrounding any family business by using his own multi-generational family farm experience as his base for insight and wisdom.

Genres: Nonfiction, Agriculture, Gardening, Family, Business, Food

402 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2001

About the author

Joel 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.

Reviews

[Del · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all of Joel Salatin's books. This book explains why farming today isn't working (i.e., why farmers hope their kids LEAVE the farm instead of stay) and how to change that. A good child-rearing book from an seeminly unlikely source. I've read all but Joel's newest book, and they're all terrific, but I probably won't review them here because I think their appeal to others is limited.

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be very inspirational and moving. I appreciated the deeper look into Salatin's philosophies.

[Jesscia · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you own a piece of ground and expect to die someday you have no business doing so until you've read this book:). Had my own family read this I believe we could have avoided a great deal of irreperable hurt and what very likely will end in the cutting up and sale of the family farm or at the very least the poisoning and pillaging of it. Absolutely tragic. Read it.

[Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

4+ stars

[Audie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a parenting book disguised as a farming book. I love his definition of Greenhouse Kids!

[Daniel]

390 pages

[Ashley Mercer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written book!

[Shannan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book, I really did. I so admire and appreciate what Joel Salatin is doing with Polyface and hope that his approach revolutionizes how we grow our food. But I just did not like this book much. It was so generalized and judgemental that I just couldn't get into it. He has some great points about including children in enterprise and other family friendly topics, but saying that kids are sissies if they can't happily slaughter their own animals is a bit much.

I was excited to see the chapter on how to financially support yourself while starting a family farm, but was most disappointed in that chapter. There were no details, no practical advice, no other suggestions than "Just do it". Thanks, but that doesn't really feed my family while I get the farm going.

I still love what Salatin is doing and maybe "You Can Farm" has more practical information, but I think I'll stick to the concept of his work rather than reading his books from now on.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an amazing surprise. I was about 50 pages into it and describing what I'd read to my husband. He said, "I thought you were reading that book to learn to grow vegetables." Well, that wasn't exactly why I was reading it, but not too far off.

Joel Salatin covers an amazing array of territory in his testament. Yes, he does write about farming, pastured poultry farming in particular and it's ugly cousin, industralized poultry farms. However, this book also discusses goal setting, business planning, child training, estate planning, and many problems inherent in the family farms of today.

This is a fabulous book. One that I encourage everyone to read and will re-read myself in the future. Hopefully, the next time I read it I'll have a small farm of my own. :)

[Cara Bergeron]

This book is WAY better than "You Can Farm." Especially if you don't like farming. Because the book is more about building a business with your family than it is about farming. Salatin opens up wide in this book and spills his guts and his heart about all that he believes about the family. It was challenging to our family to see his vision for his family. And though it isn't better-written than "You Can Farm," it's way more interesting.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I disagree with a lot of Salatin's beliefs, but he had some useful insights, I thought, about creating a sustainable, scalable business and making agriculture an appealing career. The flow between chapters is not great and there's certainly some repetition - a good editor would have tightened this up significantly.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, honestly, I didn't get this book finished because it is so convicting, it makes me stop and think about it for a while. I am definitely going to check it out again though, and probably even buy it--and that is high praise indeed.

It doesn't even ONLY apply to farmers either--if you want to keep your LIFE family friendly--read this book!

[Thomas Kidd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well worth your time to read! As others have said, Salatin in his early books could have used an editor. Though in not having an editor, we do get a better picture of the real Salatin. Salatin's vision of a family and locally-centered society is beautiful. His parenting advice is countercultural and often sage. Much to think about and apply.

[Mary Bundy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm such a ranchers daughter! Oh, to live off the land, these people are soooo resourceful. I would do it accept, Star Valley just isn't conducive to outdoor living as a whole. I'm waiting for my greenhouse and indoor barn! I love rural America!

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not just a book about farming, but a great explanation of the benefits of a family-run business, and the advantages of integrating your children into your business rather than allowing them to "express" themselves through video games, sports, tv, and movies.

[Miriam Grinshtein Eber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Salatin is passionate but wordy and rambly. I love the ideas in this book though and his passion for their lifestyle comes through. An inspiring read for those interested in making a go of farming together as a family.

[Alix · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is TJED at it's finest.....

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love joel salatin but he is in desperate need of an editor. this book was so repetitive and preachy that I quit reading it.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent philosophy book for the family farm. He addresses relationships, approach, money, retirement, complementary crops, etc. He addresses family relationships as well. Very enjoyable.

[Sarah]

I really enjoyed this book. I did however have to keep reminding myself of his intended audiance, as many parts of the book could be taken out of context. Love Joel Salatin.

[Michael Berkompas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Salatin has a refreshing perspective on life. Although I find myself in slight disagreement on some points, I can't help but be motivated by his vision for the future.

[Brian Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joe is a great proponent of natural small business family farming. He is a great soul

[Benaiah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about so much more than farming, it's really about being a family.

[Tony Paulson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books on child-rearing period. Whether you are into farming or not, this book has some of the best philosophy on raising children I've found.

[Sonya Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring

Fantastic and thoughtful look at the next generation of family life and food production, combined. I wish I'd read this book years ago!