Start Your Farm: The Authoritative Guide to Becoming a Sustainable 21st Century Farmer

271 Pages·2018·5.21 MB·English

by  Forrest Pritchard

THE AUTHORITATIVE GUIDE

TO BEcOmING A SUSTAINABLE
21ST-cENTURY FARMER
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EsSENTIAL FOR GROwING AND RAIsING
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VEGETABLEs • FRUITs • LIVESTOck
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forrest pritchard

New York Times–bestselling author of
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Gaining Ground and Growing Tomorrow
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ellen polishuk
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Advance Praise for
start your farm
“Start Your Farm is an eminently readable, entertaining, and important
book for new farmers. The authors don’t hold back on the tough parts of
farming. They coach the reader on how to overcome obstacles and reap the
financial and emotional rewards on the other side. I recommend this book
to anyone looking to make the brave leap into a farm career.”
—Lindsey Lusher Shute, cofounder of the
National Young Farmers Coalition
“This book is full of wisdom, wit, and practical advice from two of the
most respected figures in agriculture today. Anyone interested in farming
for a career should pick up a copy. There is no career more rewarding than
farming, and this book eases the burden for those starting out.”
—Ben Hartman, author of The Lean Farm and
The Lean Farm Guide to Growing Vegetables
“A must-read for anyone who feels called to be a farmer. Start Your Farm is
the most insightful, honest, challenging, and yet joyful and hopeful book
I have read for would-be farmers. Prichard’s and Polishuk’s decades-long
experiences in striving to farm sustainably also provide valuable insights into
what it will take to farm successfully in the twenty-first century. Read this
book and learn from two truly professional farmers.”
—John Ikerd, professor emeritus of agricultural economics,
University of Missouri
“If you have romantic Instagram ideas about living off the land, you need
to read this book. Jam-packed with practical advice and real-life vignettes,
Start Your Farm gives you the down and dirty—the financial, emotional,
and physical aspects of running a working farm. But this gritty realism is
perfectly balanced with hope and encouragement. Pritchard and Polishuk
not only talk the talk, but walk the walk, and they will guide you through the
intricacies of starting a farm of your own. If you have what it takes, that is!”
—Lisa Steele, author of Fresh Eggs Daily
“If you dream of farming, Start Your Farm provides proven practical advice,
delivered with a sense of humility and humor. It’s as much a ‘why’ as a
‘how-to’ book, separating it from the plethora of guides for beginning
farmers. Clear, concise, and highly useful, this book will help you make
smarter decisions and fewer mistakes. I wish I had access to this kind of
wisdom when I started farming forty-eight years ago. Get out there and farm,
and carry this valuable info with you!”
—Amigo Bob Cantisano, founding member of Organic Ag Advisors
and the Ecological Farming Association
start your
farm
Also by Forrest Pritchard
Gaining Ground:
A Story of Farmers’ Markets, Local Food, and Saving the Family Farm
Growing Tomorrow:
A Farm-to-Table Journey in Photos and Recipes
start your
farm
THE AUTHORITATIVE GUIDE

TO BECOMING A SUSTAINABLE
21ST-CENTURY FARMER
forrest pritchard
& ellen polishuk
new york
Start Your Farm: The Authoritative Guide to Becoming a Sustainable 21st-Century Farmer
Copyright © 2018 by Forrest Pritchard and Ellen Polishuk
Excerpt of Wendell Berry’s poem “The Contrariness of the Mad Farmer” used by permission of the author.
All rights reserved. Except for brief passages quoted in newspaper, magazine, radio, television, or online
reviews, no portion of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or information storage or retrieval
system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
The Experiment, LLC
220 East 23rd Street, Suite 600
New York, NY 10010-4658
theexperimentpublishing.com
Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as
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The Experiment’s books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk for premiums and sales
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Pritchard, Forrest, author. | Polishuk, Ellen, author.
Title: Start your farm : the authoritative guide to becoming a sustainable
twenty-first-century farmer / Forrest Pritchard & Ellen Polishuk.
Description: New York, NY : The Experiment, LLC, [2018]
Identifiers: LCCN 2018024897 (print) | LCCN 2018028728 (ebook) | ISBN
9781615195138 (ebook) | ISBN 9781615194896 (pbk.)
Subjects: LCSH: Sustainable agriculture--Handbooks, manuals, etc.
Classification: LCC S494.5.S86 (ebook) | LCC S494.5.S86 P757 2018 (print) |
DDC 338.1--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018024897
ISBN 978-1-61519-489-6
Ebook ISBN 978-1-61519-513-8
Cover by Becky Terhune
Text design by Sarah Smith
Cover photographs by Molly M. Peterson, except top center photograph © christian42 | Adobe Stock
Photograph of Ellen Polishuk by Diana Kolnick
Photograph of Forrest Pritchard by Molly M. Peterson
Manufactured in the United States of America
First printing September 2018
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To my parents, who believed
—Forrest
To Hana, who kept opening doors for me, giving me the opportunity to soar
—Ellen
“There is only one success . . . to be able to spend your life in your own way.”
—Christopher Morley
Contents
Introduction ................................................1
1. Why Be a Farmer? ........................................7
2. Do You Have What It Takes? ..............................23
3. Harvesting Sunlight .....................................35
4. Your $0 Student Loan Education ...........................52
5. To Buy or Not to Buy—Getting Your Hands on Land .......... 66
6. Exploring the Wonderful World of Soil ......................87
7. To Market, To Market! Part One ..........................106
8. To Market, To Market! Part Two ..........................123
9. Tai Chi Economics .....................................139
10. Make a Real Profit, Secure Your Future ....................159
11. The Three Golden Rules of Farming .......................175
12. Love, Work, and Harmony ...............................189
13. The Beautiful Paradox of Failure ..........................203
14. Cashing Your Lifestyle Paycheck ..........................218
Conclusion: Go! .......................................... 229
Acknowledgments ..........................................237
Resources and Recommended Reading ......................... 240
Index ...................................................245
About the Authors ......................................... 262