Wind Power, Revised Edition: Renewable Energy for Home, Farm, and Business

Book Description

Wind energy today is a booming worldwide industry. The technology has truly come of age, with better, more reliable machinery and a greater understanding of how and where wind power makes sense--from the independent homestead to a grid-connected utility-wide perspective. Heightened concerns about our environment mean that this resurgence of interest in wind--a natural and widespread power source--is here to stay. Wind Power is the completely revised and expanded edition of Paul Gipe's definitive 1993 book, Wind Power for Home and Business. In addition to expanded sections on gauging wind resources and siting wind turbines, this edition includes new examples and case studies of successful wind systems, international sources for new and used equipment, and hundreds of color photographs and illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

Make This Your 1st Book on Wind Power.......2007-01-26

Paul Gipe truly knows his industry. Whether you're thinking about installing a small wind turbine or want to invest in a megawatt model, you should make this your first purchase. You'll feel like you've completed a college course on wind power after reading this book.

Buy this book before investing in wind power!.......2006-02-17

Unless you already work in the wind industry (and even if you do) this book is invaluable. It contains very detailed information of nearly all aspects of wind power. I've only had this book several weeks and have not yet purchased a wind mill. I especially like the sections on towers, safety and the comparison charts for many models of turbines.

Great book.......2005-10-07

Its bulk information & know-how represented in the most fluent manner possible. Its like getting a course of wind energy.
Fully recommend for wind passionates.

Wind Power, Revised Edition: Renewable Energy for Home, Farm, and Business.......2005-09-16

This is a very practical book for the wind energy enthusiast, thinking of setting up their own wind generator. It has got plenty of advice on the wind generators to buy and the models to avoid. The book has loads of web references, photographs and safety information. All the information in the book is presented in a clear and concise fashion. You don't need an engineering degree to understand this book. Overall I found this book to be a really good reference and well worth the money. I would recommend it to readers interested in renewable energy.

The Book to Have on Wind Power Systems.......2005-08-24

This reviewer was very pleased with the quality and thoroughness of this title. The level of detail presented herein was very helpful in giving the reader a complete picture of whats really involved in putting up, operating and using a wind-based Renewable Energy (RE) system. Very helpful are the many graphs and charts which provide organization and understanding of the numerous technical aspects of the subject.

Some of the often overlooked but very important subjects covered in Wind Power are the: tower installation and tower types, location selection, mounting on RVs, wind turbine design, do-it-yourself wind turbines and how to select a prebuilt wind turbine. All of these subjects and many more are covered in great detail, usually with one or more color photographs to support and demonstrate the author's points.

Wind Power is full of common sense safety tips for the homeowner and also points out some hazards that might not be so readily apparent to the untrained eye. Also included is loads of good advice from start to finish with regard to locating, selecting, purchasing, installing, operating and servicing your wind turbine.

At nearly five hundred pages, Wind Power leaves no stones unturned in its quest to document all aspects of the booming industry of wind-based RE systems. As oil prices continue to soar and citizens continue to search for ways to increase their quality of life (and health of their pocketbook), wind-based RE systems will continue to grow in popularity. Wind Power provides the reader with the opportunity to get ahead of the curve and learn important information not readily available now.

Duck for President (New York Times Best Illustrated Books (Awards))

Average customer rating:

Elections explained in fun way
They dynamic duo strikes again
A fun look at the electorial process.
Geatest Book Ever!
Duck For President

Duck for President (New York Times Best Illustrated Books (Awards))
Doreen Cronin
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0689863772
Release Date: 2004-03-02

Book Description

My fellow Americans:

It is our pleasure, our honor, our duty as citizens to present to you Duck for President. Here is a duck who began in a humble pond. Who worked his way to farmer. To governor. And now, perhaps, to the highest office in the land.

Some say, if he walks like a duck and talks like a duck, he is a duck.

We say, if he walks like a duck and talks like a duck, he will be the next president of the United States of America.

Thank you for your vote.

Customer Reviews:

Elections explained in fun way.......2007-09-30

I loved this book. Ordered it for a school project for young children; then ordered more for others. I liked that it includes that the farm animals have to be registered to vote, they have to meet criteria, they fight for their rights. Includes a lot of info in a fun way.

They dynamic duo strikes again.......2007-08-05

You had me at "Click Clack Moo" and my son still breaks down into hysterical gut busting laughter every single time he reads "Giggle Giggle Quack".

Imagine my surprise when I hear my husband laughing hysterically while reading my son a story. I said what is going on and he says "It Duck!" He could not even hold it together to give me the gist of the story. It was entertaining and educational (sneaking in a little social studies).

Thank you for creating a wonderful family experience. Also now, my son wants to run for president so he can get out of chores.

But we have to save that five star for Giggle Giggle Quack.

A fun look at the electorial process........2007-06-05

I liked Click, Clack, Moo and Giggle, Giggle, Quack. This one hasn't really grown on me.

It starts with duck not liking his chores of mowing the lawn, taking out the garbage, and grinding coffee. He decides Farmer Brown is wrong and holds an election. He wins and learns running a farm is tough. Time to be Governor! He wins and learns it's hard work. Time to be President! Which he wins and learns its the toughest job of all. Time to retire and right the autobiography.

There are humor spots as this is an attempt to make fun of the electoral process. It's done in a good way and it makes references to past Presidents. I particularly liked the JFK pose.

Overall it's a good book. My daughter likes it and that's what counts!

Geatest Book Ever!.......2007-03-29

This book was an enjoyable book.This book teaches me that you can do what you have always wanted.The book teaches us how is important to vote in these days.Will I want you to read this funny book!
By,
David Trevino

Duck For President.......2007-02-21

This is a fun and enjoyable children's book. The book's humor makes it interesting and funny. Duck for President can teach about how fun the electoral process can be.
It is an educational storybook for kids. It includes duck campaigning, winning over voters, and being elected. The book is silly because it is so unreal. A duck on a farm becomes the president of the United States of America. Duck for President teaches you to never give up and to follow your dreams. Duck made a good campaign, studied his opponent, and came away with the win.
This is a fun and enjoyable book that teaches you a lot about the electoral process. It is very silly and teaches you a lesson about how to follow your dreams. It will be a quick read that could give you some laughs.

Making Your Small Farm Profitable: Apply 25 Guiding Principles/Develop New Crops & New Markets/Maximize Net Profits Per Acre

Average customer rating:

Good advice for serious beginners
It's about business, the business of farming.
A Wise Investment for the Inquisitive, Curious Beginner
Where's the beef?
Being a Farmer does not mean living in Poverty

Making Your Small Farm Profitable: Apply 25 Guiding Principles/Develop New Crops & New Markets/Maximize Net Profits Per Acre
Ron Macher
Manufacturer: Storey Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1580171613

Book Description

This practical, step-by-step guide to operating a small farm in the new millennium examines 20 alternative farming enterprises. Readers will learn how to target niche markets and sustain a farm's biological and economic health.

Customer Reviews:

Good advice for serious beginners.......2007-06-15

There are lots of books written about how to grow things, how to raise animals, organics, etc. However, this is one of few on the subject of small farming that actually puts the whole picture together in terms of creating/sustaining a business and a lifestyle. The author expects that the reader is serious about surviving and thriving from his/her farming activities and shares information specific to the "business" of farming in a sensitive and ethical manner. It shouldn't be a secret that the small farmer needs to take advantage of every asset on the property year round, in addition to wearing every hat in a small business: Planning, marketing, sales, accounting, production, maintnenance, networking, etc. Excellent general information and many specifics, too. Well worth the read if you are serious about learnting to farm for profit.

It's about business, the business of farming. .......2007-03-01

This book is about the business of farming. It is not about how to produce a specific crop or livestock. There are many other books out there that cover these subjects. Some people rated this book poorly because their expectations for the book conflicted with what the book's subject is.

If you want to know about the buying equipment, how many hours of your time and how much capital you'll need to expend on various livestock or crops and how much you can expect to profit by those efforts, this is the book that will help you.

A Wise Investment for the Inquisitive, Curious Beginner.......2004-03-21

First, let me begin by saying what this book is not. This book gives zero advice to practicing small or large farmers on how to turn a profit. This book is not a how-to guide for those starting out. Nor is it a step-by-step method on how to get rich by working the land. If that were the case, then every small farmer in America would have read the book and gotten wealthy, instead of banks and other creditors foreclosing on family farms and putting them on the auctioning block.

Now, let me elaborate on what this book really is. This book is a very polite warning by two very seasoned, jaded individuals who are aware of the escapist notions and romantic fantasies many people have about farming. They have been around long enough to have become intimately familiar with the Back to the Land Movement, a Return to Simplicity, and Environmental Sustainability/Sustainable Agriculture- aka The New Improved Agriculture. It took me a while to realize this (three readings in fact!) and understand the dangers associated with one pernicious stereotype about farming.

Many of us on the sidelines believe that anyone can farm, and all it takes is a willingness to work hard (the trite saying about hard-working ditch diggers getting rich comes readily to mind). When we think of the farmer, we often have one (malicious) stereotype in mind- that of the dumb country boy with a 'gee aw shucks' outlook on farming and life. Basically, we really do not think it takes brains in order to farm successfully. I mean, after all, you take some seeds, toss in a little fertilizer of your choice, water them and come back in a few months to collect your crop and get your pesos (almost literally)- just how hard could that be?

Well, speaking as someone who is thoroughly new to farming, never once has farmed, and is inquisitive about the practice of agriculture, after considerable investigation I can tell you the prospective reader that no matter how hard they work, dumb people will not be able to stay on the farm for long. We on the sidelines do not think farming is difficult because we do not think about the Practice of Farming and the Business of Farming. If your experience of farming up to this point is shopping at your local natural foods co-op, perusing the stalls at the local weekly farmer's market, or wandering the aisles at some trendy, eco-hip retailer like Whole Foods or Wilds Oats (who have skillfully co-opted environmentalism as a path to insane riches), and you are considering going into farming as a vocation, then I do not think you will hear the polite warning contained in this book. If you are someone stuck in a dead-end or high-paying but otherwise unfulfilling career (like this reviewer), and you are seeking an out, a means of escape (what we politely but laughingly call a 'transition'), then you just might catch the polite warning consistently stated throughout this book.

Farming attracts many people not because of its business or financial aspects but because of the lifestyle many people associate with farming. If you are an MD, then you are in the business of healthcare. Your business and your lifestyle are completely different. In fact, whether your business is highly successful or modestly successful, your lifestyle could be lavish, it could be modest, or it could be parsimonious- it's up to you and your personal preferences. If you don't like your current situation, from where you work, to who you work for (read HMOs) to your clientele base, you can make a change without changing your lifestyle- too much that is.

Now here is the polite warning: if you are drawn to farming because of the lifestyle, and you turn this lifestyle into a business, then it behooves you to make damn certain that your business can pay for itself, because after all, your business is your lifestyle and your lifestyle is your business. The lifestyle will not work out if the business end does not pay. In fact, the business end may place quite severe limitations on the lifestyle you can reasonably expect to achieve, which in many cases will be well below what you are currently accustomed to. Unlike a 9 to 5 gig with some godless multinational, you can not simply just pack up and leave (this assumes implicitly that the heartless .......... have not fired you in the latest round of restructurings), and if the business end does not work out, you lose not only your lifestyle, but also your home.

For me, the true heart of the book and the real message of the text were contained in the Foreword by Budd Kerr Jr and Part I- Getting Started. In terms of content, the book contains little on the techniques of farming, and has eleven chapters divided into four parts- Getting Started, Farming, Planning and Marketing, and Management, with a handy appendix chock full of useful resources on the Business and Practice of Farming. The text is specifically pitched at a level that almost anyone can understand, and there is a noticeable bias towards the environmentally minded reader.

That said, the true purpose of this book is to get you, the prospective reader who may be thinking of getting into farming, to start thinking about the Practice of Farming and the Business of Farming, all romanticism and eco-hip verbiage aside. This book is of no use to someone who is already farming, and in need of help. The best time to read this book is before you get into farming whole hog as they say down on the farm.

Even though it took me three passes to finally get the message, I am glad that I did read it before taking any action.

Read this book several times BEFORE you venture into farming, not during or after.

Where's the beef?.......2004-02-19

I kept reading and reading looking for the exciting practical information promised by all these reviews. Then the book ended. Then I looked back at the reviews to see what I'd missed that (mis)lead me to believe there was practical information in it. They use words like 'overview' to indicate that there ain't much in the way of real meat in this book. I can sum it up in one sentence: Find yourself a niche market locally and grow what they want. If you need details about producing the product, this is not the book you're looking for.

For extensive, detailed, practical information about making money by pasturing mixed species of livestock, look at books by Joel Salatin. But even he could still bring in more complementary planting for winter forage. Greg Judy has a detailed book about making money with livestock without owning the land or the livestock.

Being a Farmer does not mean living in Poverty.......2004-01-07

I enjoyed Mr. Macher book. His realistic examples and stories on how to get started have convinced me to leave writing software and become a business man who's products are farm products.

The appendicies are great with current information about where to get more information.

His true stories boxes let you know that he understands what beginging farms needed in the way of encouragement and information to help them make the decision to farm.

He is correct when he writes "to survive as a farmer you must have a market before you start to grow and you must provide a quality product with even better customer service."

Book Description

This guide shows readers how to run a successful business and make the most of their investments in horses, facilities, and equipment.

Customer Reviews:

Starting & Running Your Own Horse Business.......2007-05-12

This book is a great guide for management on a cost-effective basis. Excellent! Great for the beginner to understand and very informative.
I bought it for my daughter and she could understand what running a horse business would entail. A great way to learn for a youngster that has no idea of what they are saying when they say they want to run their own business. All aspects of a business are looked at in a basic way.Starting & Running Your Own Horse Business

.......Horse Business.......2007-02-20

I found this book to be very helpful in planning my stable for public use. It has given me good ideas on planning, marketing and various programs to consider. It's also given me a good start on planning my budget for this project. I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to move past the horse boarding only business.

Although it's a wonderful and helpful book..........2006-05-29

It should really have more important information, such as a summery of costs, tips on picking the perfect horse fo lessons, hiring staff, stuff that you REALLY need to know about starting your own business. Other then that, it's really a great and imformative book.

Great Book.......2005-08-22

The book covered a good range of topics. I found several new ideas well worth using in starting our business. The book was definately well worth buying!

A great read!.......2005-08-04

I found this book to be an extremely fun read. I firmly believe that the foundation to any successful business is marketing because if people don't know your business then you have no clients. This book gives some creative ideas to advertise your business along with some fun money-maker activities to plan. However, it is not a very complete guide to starting and running a horse business because there is a lot more to think about when starting a business than colors and horse shows. This is why I find the title to be a bit misleading. I bought this book along with "Business Planner and Bookkeeper for the Horse Enterprise" and found the two books to be an extremely helpful pair. As with any business though, one or two books can not teach you how to be successful. To anyone who is serious about starting a business, I recommend reading as many books as possible about running a business, not just this one.

Successful Small-Scale Farming: An Organic Approach (Down-To-Earth Book)

Average customer rating:

Successful Small-Scale Farming: An Organic Approach
So, you think you wanna be a farmer?
A dreamers book with few details
No b.s, uh....manure!
A Classic!

Successful Small-Scale Farming: An Organic Approach (Down-To-Earth Book)
Karl Schwenke
Manufacturer: Storey Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0882666428

Book Description

This inspiring handbook contains everything small-farm owners need to know, from buying land to organic growing methods and selling cash crops.

Customer Reviews:

Successful Small-Scale Farming: An Organic Approach.......2007-07-15

This book is chock full of great advice! Add it to your library and refer to it often.

So, you think you wanna be a farmer?.......2007-01-06

Written in the late '70s, this book will scare you off the idealistic vision of farming and tune you into some of the economic and other realities. It's dry. It's nuts-and-bolts. It's not groovy. It's about dirt and tractors and seed.

The book attempts to give you a complete how-to, but instead you walk away realizing there is a lot to learn.

A dreamers book with few details.......2002-08-20

The book started off getting me real excited about sustainable farming. I was eager to turn the page and learn more, but as i turned the page, nothing materialized. I learned a lot about soil health and management, but when it got around to details about specific vegetables, growing seasons, and pest prevention, the book was lacking.

No b.s, uh....manure!.......2000-07-16

This book is for people who either live and farm in the country already, or have some realastic experience about what it is to work for a living. Anyone who has ever tried to bring in a crop, will appreciate the down-to-earth basic information provided. If you are looking for information about how to make a pretty garden, look elsewhere. this is a not to be missed reference, right up there with your county extension agent's telephone number.

A Classic!.......1999-02-09

Anyone owning or planning to own a small farm will find this handbook an invaluable guide to both the real potential and the harsh realities in making a full or part-time living on the land - buying land, growing and marketing your crops. Concise how-to. 134 pages.

Organic, Inc.: Natural Foods and How They Grew

Average customer rating:

Insight into the organic movement
Organic as an Industry
A place for organic in your life
Organic Inc.
A Tale of Two Different Food Visions

Organic, Inc.: Natural Foods and How They Grew
Samuel Fromartz
Manufacturer: Harvest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0156032422

Book Description

Who would have thought that a natural food supermarket could have been a financial refuge from the dot-com bust? But it had. Sales of organic food had shot up about 20 percent per year since 1990, reaching $11 billion by 2003 . . . Whole Foods managed to sidestep that fray by focusing on, well, people like me. Organic food has become a juggernaut in an otherwise sluggish food industry, growing at 20 percent a year as products like organic ketchup and corn chips vie for shelf space with conventional comestibles. But what is organic food? Is it really better for you? Where did it come from, and why are so many of us buying it? Business writer Samuel Fromartz set out to get the story behind this surprising success after he noticed that his own food choices were changing with the times. In Organic, Inc., Fromartz traces organic food back to its anti-industrial origins more than a century ago. Then he follows it forward again, casting a spotlight on the innovators who created an alternative way of producing food that took root and grew beyond their wildest expectations. In the process he captures how the industry came to risk betraying the very ideals that drove its success in a classically complex case of free-market triumph.

Customer Reviews:

Insight into the organic movement.......2007-09-23

"Organic Inc" by Samuel Fromartz offers a good introduction to the natural food movement. Written primarily for a popular audience, the book combines research with short histories, case studies and profiles of prominent personalities and companies that have shaped the industry. Although the author's frequent interjections about his own personal experiences and infatuations with organics becomes somewhat annoying, overall the book succeeds in granting insight into the organic movement, its foundational ideals and the possibilities for the future.

Mr. Fromartz provides a brief history of organic farming as an alternative to a deeply flawed agro-industrial production system. We learn that organic methods were developed for ideologically diverse reasons but tends to produce nutritionally superior foods when compared with conventional farming practices. Although yields are usually smaller, the author discusses how organic strawberry farms in California are an example of how organics can outperform when allowing for decreases in energy and fertilizer input.

Mr. Fromartz profiles some of the small organic farmers whose deference to health, environment and community were shaped by the 1960s counterculture. A small but vital network of farmers, distributors and retailers supported a fledgling movement that defined itself by remaining outside the conventional food system. The author describes how such farmers often devised creative marketing strategies by catering to specialty restaurants or selling their produce directly to the public at farmer's markets. As health and safety concerns about pesticides and rBGH growth hormones caught the public's attention, organic farming has become more widespread, emerging as an increasingly important survival strategy for more and more beleagured family farmers.

Mr. Fromartz traces the rise in popularity of pre-packaged salads and refrigerated soy milk to discuss how mass market success has created divisions within the organic community. The development of large-scale organic enterprises has intensified competition and shut down smaller, less efficient producers. Regulation has become a contentious issue, with small farmers seeking to hold large farmers accountable to maintaining high standards. As supermarkets such as Safeway and Wal-Mart have begun to add organic sections to their stores, issues of local production, fair wages and sustainability are heightened. Yet, the author is upbeat in his assessment that small farmers can continue to find their niche by satisfying the needs of the more sophisticated organic consumer.

I recommend this highly readable and informative book to everyone.

Organic as an Industry.......2007-08-21

I have been very ambivalent about the organic culture and wanted to understand more about the origins of the organic movement, its significance, and the trends I observe it to be following.

Samuel Fromartz's account of the organic industry (as I have come to see it) was a solid introduction that I will have to probably reread to fully take in. Peppered with facts, figures, vignettes, anecdotes, and opinions, it is clearly the writing of the converted, rather than a deliberately skeptical examination. Nonetheless there is room for reflection and critical analysis - I flagged dozens of pages that gave me points to ponder and further examine. The book touches on related topics like local agriculture without straying too far from the topic at hand.

My one criticism, after moving on to other books about food agriculture, is that this book, when it was dealing with facts and figures, seemed get weighed down, but at the same time, seemed to leave identifiable voids of information. How a book could be both occasionally tedious, and occasionally too light, I'm not entirely sure.

A place for organic in your life.......2007-07-18

When you think of organic foods, do you mentally picture aging hippies in co-ops, small roadside stands, and stores with counter-cultural values? That image was probably valid until the 1980's, but has rapidly been displaced since.

Organic foods sales grew at 20 percent per year during the 1990s, attracting the attention of the food business. In the process, organic went mainstream and became an accepted niche market at grocery chains and even big-box retailers such as WalMart and Target. The author's real question is whether this represents "progress" or "problem" for fans of simpler lifestyles and all things organic.

The documented answer is some of both. Fromartz is a highly accomplished business journalist who takes a (mostly) unsentimental look at the business of marketing organic foods. Interviewing small and large merchants plus the `man on the street,' Fromartz discovers that organic is profitable and growing, yet at the same time poses a risk to traditional fans who are unlikely to shop at big boxes for the food they know and love. While the mainstream consumer `discovers' organic, the core organic customer may be wondering if she can trust anyone, anywhere, any more. This dilemma, the author notes, resembles putting up "a neon sign for an organic Twinkie."

After an entertaining and excellent investigative look at the business of organic, Fromartz holds out hope that both kinds of organic - mass market and small market - may find ways to thrive. For the core customer, related values like humane treatment of animals, fair market pricing, and sustainable agriculture may become more relevant indicators of value than the simple phrase `organic.' These savvy shoppers may continue to trust the small, unique brands and identities of traditional organic suppliers.

Meanwhile a certain amount of industrialization, mass-market methods and persuasive advertising messages can be expected to boost sales of anything termed `organic' in the aisles of a mega-retailer near you, where the organic business is currently booming.

Whether you like your organic "all natural" or with "always low prices," you'll be likely to find it readily available. Which type you choose will say a lot about your personal values and expectations.

Armchair Interviews say: The good news, from the author's point of view, is that at least you'll get to choose! In a free market, our choices define our future opportunities.

Organic Inc........2006-11-02

I enjoyed this book. It was a great introduction to the organic world.

A Tale of Two Different Food Visions.......2006-07-14

Can big agribusiness and local organic farming co-exist and thrive? Samuel Fromartz' new book, Organic, Inc., is a fascinating journey through American agricultural movements, starting around the turn of the century, when farming was still a small-town venture and tracing its development into agribusinesses whose products are now found on most American tables - and the movement into locally grown, organic foods, which represents not so much a return to the past as a return to wholeness and healthy living.

The problem seems to be that the organic movement itself is being challenged by the very agribusinesses it once eschewed. There are really few ways to farm sustainably (which will in most cases mean organically and without genetically modified foods or chemicals) AND use the systems that have come to mean "factory farms" - livestock confined for their entire lifetimes in areas so small they cannot turn around or lie down (chickens, for instance, and pigs), never mind see the sunshine or walk around and enjoy fresh air, eating what they would eat if humans were not around.

Agrisystems, as they exist today, are basically unhealthy - and unsustainable. But they are profitable, and make it easy for "food" (if you want to call it that) to arrive at your table packaged neatly and processed to death. Rare are the children being raised today who knows what "food" looks like in its natural state. Do they know what a carrot or beet looks like, while it's growing in the ground? Do they know that the hamburger they eat comes from a being that has a face and makes sounds, and may (depending on your viewpoint) be sentient?

Being removed from the source and sight and smells and knowledge of how your food comes to you - how it was grown, and what has happened to it all along the way - makes for some dangerous possibilities. We cannot know (or control very well, despite so-called legal safeguards meant to protect us) where our food has been, before it reaches our table, unless we have grown it ourselves (which is not easy or possible for most people) or have bought it from someone in our community whose farming practices we know - and could actually go there and see.

Fromartz comes from a reporting background, and knows how to dig out factoids that will leave you breathless for the sheer scope of what has happened to our food and our food production systems. It should leave you with both concern and hope, at the end.

Organic, Inc. Is not exactly the "story of food" but it truly is the tale of two different visions for how food is produced and made available to consumers. One (local biodynamic farming) is sustainable; the other (multinational, corporate agribusiness) is not.

Fromartz carefully traces how we got where we are, without suggesting where we will go in the future. However, his bias for a sustainable natural foods future is clear - and it's one I share. If you care about what you eat, how it got here, and whether you will be able to find more like it tomorrow, you should read this book, think about what it means, and DO something about what you believe is the best course of action for a world where what we eat determines how healthy we and our future generations will be.

Yours for extraordinary dining -- for everyone,

Nancy Boyd
www.find-great-organic-gourmet-foods.com

The King of California: J. G. Boswell and the Making of a Secret American Empire

Average customer rating:

The king of California
History, Biography and Expose?
Overstuffed but Worth Reading
Surfaced and Harpooned
Tremendous historical, political, and social epic

The King of California: J. G. Boswell and the Making of a Secret American Empire
Mark Arax , and Rick Wartzman
Manufacturer: PublicAffairs
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1586480286

Book Description

A rich, colorful history of California centering on the untold story of America 's biggest farmer, J.G. Boswell, who controls more than $1 billion worth of water rights and real estate in the heart of the state.

J.G. Boswell is the biggest farmer in America. Over the past fifty years he has built a secret empire while thumbing his nose at nature, politicians, labor unions and every journalist who ever tried to lift the veil on the ultimate "factory in the fields." Now eighty years old, with an almost pathological bent toward privacy, Boswell has spent the past few years confiding one of the great stories of the American West to Mark Arax and Rick Wartzman. The King of California is the previously untold account of how a Georgia slave-owning family migrated to California in the early 1920s, drained one of America 's biggest lakes in an act of incredible hubris and carved out the richest cotton empire in the world. Indeed, the sophistication of Boswell 's agricultural operation--from lab to field to gin--is unrivaled anywhere.

Much more than a business story, this is a sweeping social history that details the saga of cotton growers who were chased from the South by the boll weevil and brought their black farmhands to California. It is a gripping read with cameos by a cast of famous characters, from Cecil B. DeMille to Cesar Chavez.

Customer Reviews:

The king of California.......2006-11-04

This book is way too long and somewhat redundant and boring. The basic story is good, but the author takes too much time and too many pages to tell it.

History, Biography and Expose?.......2006-06-23

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in politics, agriculture, or water rights. It is a well-written and very readable.

It follows four generations of the Boswell family to trace how they assembled the largest industrial farm in the world. Along the way, the authors explore the history of the San Joaquin valley and those who came there to farm it, those who left and those who got left behind. For every group that made a fortune, there were many others who were disappointed. There are plenty of interesting stories of Washington and Sacramento politics, and stories of common people following dreams.

The book examines the effect of large scale farming on farm owners, on those who work the farms now and those who worked them in the past. It provides some good background on the politics of water rights and government involvement in farming, and on the involvement of agriculture in local, state and federal politics.

If you are interested in the politics and history of water in the western states, Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner is one of the best books I have read on any subject.

Overstuffed but Worth Reading.......2005-11-26

I grew up in Fresno, in the shadow of agribusiness. The story behind "King of California" is a fascinating and important one but I'm not sure this "biography" does it justice. I disliked the awkward mixture of history and journalism. Is this an expose, a biography or history? Its never really clear and the way the book is organized, around the four seasons, is particularly opaque. What does it mean to call a section, "winter?" when it is covering history spanning decades and contains interviews with living people? That said, the material is fascinating. From the role the Boswell's played in taming Tulare Lake, to the development of modern cotton farming, the politics of agriculture and the way big business in general got access and results in subsidies and favorable policy. Early on, Tulare Lake and by extension, the San Joaquin Valley in its pre-U.S. days is described with a vividness I've rarely read elsewhere. However, the description of the Boswell's roots in racism and its legacy in the Central Valley is definitely worth telling but I think it gets too little space here and competes with so many other subjects. Frankly, I'm surprised that this book has gotten the acclaim that it has. While its clearly well researched, the writing is spotty lucid in some places and sensationalized elsewhere. I think the book tries to cover far too many topics; Water politics, cotton farming, racism in California, family history, corporate intrigue, labor issues, flood control and company towns. Had it narrowed it focus to just water, cotton and corporate intrigue, I think it would have been a far more powerful book.

Surfaced and Harpooned.......2005-04-26

This far-reaching book is quite an accomplishment in biography and investigative journalism. Arax and Wartzman cover the history of the immense Boswell farming company of California, and the two guys named J.G. (the founding uncle and the current chairman, his nephew) who built the company into the largest cotton operation on Earth. Through cutthroat competitive instincts and political wheeling-and-dealing, the Boswells amassed tens of thousands of acres in California's Central Valley, and were instrumental in eliminating what was once the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi, as the former Tulare Lake was transformed into a festering network of levees, canals, and cesspools dedicated to the mass production of cotton. Thus, the Boswells built the area's environment, culture, and economics for their own profitability.

The book also serves as a great exploration of the business of factory farming, detailing the racism and poverty experienced by Black and Mexican workers, as well as the shifty agricultural and hydrological politics of Big Ag in California - as the Boswells and their competitors/allies buy politicians, stack laws and regulations in their favor, and claim flood control as a reason to alter the natural course of rivers and to completely drain the vast Tulare Lake. Best of all, we see how big business really works out West, with the hypocrisy of so-called rugged outdoorsmen (actually pampered CEO's) who incessantly rail against government interference while also taking in millions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies that are meant to help the little guy. This book is immensely informative but does often get tied up in unnecessary details, such as descriptions of petty political shenanigans in the construction of a nearby dam. But the motto of the Boswell clan has been that a whale can't be harpooned if it doesn't come to the surface (a legacy of silence and obfuscation), but Arax and Wartzman have deftly cracked into the wall of secrecy surrounding the Boswells and their often ill-gotten empire, [~doomsdayer520~]

Tremendous historical, political, and social epic.......2004-11-09

The book centers around three generations of Boswells as they migrated from Green County Georgia to Kings County California and became the largest producers of cotton in the world, without becoming a household name.

The book also tells of the natural, social, and political histories of the San Joaquin Valley from the days of indigenous peoples and the first Spanish invaders to the present day.

The epic is a fascinating study of twentieth century American history, society, economics, business, finance, management, politics, public policy, labor relations, mechanization, technology, modernization, and nature.

The more personal stories of family, romance, crime, and punishment read more like a good novel.

Some have found the authors liberally biased, but as a conservative, I found the authors well balanced in their presentations of all sides of the stories.

As others have said, the scope is huge and the research extensive. As someone who was born and raised in Kings County California, I found this heretofor unknown local history to be quite fascinating. Nevertheless, I believe this book will have broad appeal to many readers.

Building a Sustainable Business: A Guide to Developing a Business Plan for Farms and Rural Businesses (Sustainable Agriculture Network Handbook Series, ... Agriculture Network Handbook Series, Bk. 6)

Average customer rating:

Building a Sustainable Business: A Guide to Developing a Business Plan for Farms and Rural Businesses (Sustainable Agriculture Network Handbook Series, ... Agriculture Network Handbook Series, Bk. 6)

Manufacturer: Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agricultu
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

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ASIN: 1888626070

Book Description

Innovative farmers and ranchers know that alternative crops and value-added products give them an edge in the marketplace. Effective planning is crucial to the long-term profitability of any new venture. Building a Sustainable Business brings the business planning process alive to help alternative and sustainable agriculture entrepreneurs transform farm-grown inspiration into profitable enterprises.

The step-by-step strategies help you develop a detailed, lender-ready business plan or map out ways to take advantage of new opportunities, such as:
Organic farming
Agri-tourism
On-farm processing
Alternative crops
Direct marketing
Adding value

Much more than a planning document, Building a Sustainable Business follows dairy farmers Dave and Florence Minar through a major transition on their Minnesota farm. The Minars' experiences and excerpts from their sample worksheets lend a real-life perspective, illustrating how they and five other farm families set goals, researched alternatives, determined potential markets and evaluated financing options. Blank worksheets in the book help you create and organize your own plan.

Book Description

As concerned citizens recognize that the vibrancy of urban centers goes hand-in-hand with the vitality of the surrounding rural areas, a farmers' market renaissance is beginning throughout the country. Helping to increase local market success for both farmers and customers, this book serves as a three-part guide to marketing, being a resource for farmers or market gardeners selling their produce at farmers’ markets; for city planners or market managers in starting and building a market; and for community activists and city planners trying to foster appreciation for farmland while reinvigorating economic and social vitality in urban areas. Appendices cover insurance, customer surveys, farmers’ market profitability, and benefits of farmers’ markets.

Customer Reviews:

Easy to Read and great info.......2007-08-22

I bought this the other day and I am so glad that I did. We are moving to NC and going to start a hobby farm and sell at local produce markets. This is a great book. A true wealth of information and to think I almost didn't buy it. Can't go wrong with this book.

Worth Every Dollar.......2007-01-10

I have never before read a book with so much detailed information that still manages to give a great over view of it's subject. If you are into marketing your own produce, at your own stand or in a farmer's market, you are going to want to have this book. If you want to start a Farmer's market, this book is beyond value, it is a bible.

Sell your produce!.......2006-02-26

Eric Gibson is an agricultural journalist who wrote, along with Bud Kerr, "Sell what you Sow" in 1994. This book, written in conjunction with authors Vance Corum and Marcie Rozenweig, is an improvement on Gibson's previous book with updated information intended for anyone marketing their own produce. Learn how to succeed at farmers' markets. It covers the latest tips and trends from leading-edge sellers and managers from farmers markets across the country. Learn best products to grow and sell, learn display, merchandising, and selling tips, setting prices, managing and promoting the market, setting up an internet web site, dealing with rules and regulations, building community support for buying locally, and market issues and challenges. This book is a valuable resource for city planners, farmers market managers, as well as growers.

With its practical "how-to" approach, the many marketing ideas in this book will inspire you. Gibson gives you all the details needed to start a successful business selling and growing your own produce.

The best of all the market books I've read!.......2002-09-11

The cover is kind of "blah" but there's lots and lots of really god solid information inside. In fact, so far every question I've had has been addressed. A lot of the other books seem big on theory ("You must be organized!") but this book has the nuts and bolts. In fact, it's the only one that sits on my desk. The others are nicely preserved on my bookshelf.

What to do when you participate or start a farmers' market?.......2001-11-10

The answer is read this book! You don't have to be a student of marketing or have a masters degree to become an excellent marketer of your farm products. "The New Farmers' Market" is a great way to get your ideas rolling for you as a farmers' market manager or even a vendor. Information is presented in a clear, almost common sense way. As a marketing specialist for a government agency, this is a great asset to my library of resources for my clients.

Work Hard, Have Fun, Make Money: The Tractor Supply Story

Average customer rating:

Well written but...
Astonishingly well-written, very thorough

Work Hard, Have Fun, Make Money: The Tractor Supply Story
Nelson Eddy
Manufacturer: Tractor Supply Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0976106604

Customer Reviews:

Well written but..........2007-09-22

I agree with the other reviewer that this book is very well written and is inspiring to read about a company that almost tanked but managed to come back to life. However, the working environment the book portrays that the company has is completely fiction. As someone with intimate knowledge of the company's operations, I can speak to the environment which is neither inspiring nor motivating. The company is very dictatorially managed by a CEO who has surrounded himself with many yes men and one yes woman. Once Joe moves on, this company is probably in some serious trouble if this group is left to manage it as they couldn't find their way to the boardroom without Mapquest. So enjoy the book for the non-fiction parts like the history and timeline, but as the saying goes, don't believe everything you read which would apply to the portions that relate to inspiring and motivating employees who work there and what a great working environment it is. The author clearly used creative licensing with those portions.

Astonishingly well-written, very thorough.......2007-09-07

I've read thousands of books. Honestly, this was the first time that I finished and wanted to contact the author and thank him for doing such a great job.

I can't imagine the time, effort, and resources that had to go into writing this book. The history, the timelines, the personalities. I especially enjoyed reading about the machinations of acquisitions, how sometimes BIG decisions were made on the fly, and how a tight management team can accomplish just about anything. Just a marvelously well-written book.

Anyone in business will enjoy reading about the growth, almost demise, and resurgence of a company with humble beginnings.

Thank you! Highly recommended.

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