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If you have downloaded the Small Farm Guide Book then you will already know I highly recommend the first 5 books on this list. Every small or beginning farmer needs these in their life.
If you haven’t downloaded the Guide Book, what are you waiting on? It is totally free, just click here or the link below.
I may have confessed this before, but; I’m a book-a-holic. I love books. All the books. And coffee. Don’t even get me started on coffee with books. When it comes to books I am a total failure as a minimalist.
In the farm guide I wanted to make sure and include only those books that I thought you really couldn’t live without. But there are so many great books! It was killing me to only list 5.
So here it is, the big list of 50 Great Books Every Small or Beginning Farmer Needs.
My top 5: As seen in the Small Farm Guide Book. Buy these first.
Gaining Ground: A Story Of Farmers’ Markets, Local Food, And Saving The Family Farm by Forrest Pritchard (Author), Joel Salatin (Foreword)
The Market Gardener: A Successful Grower’s Handbook for Small-scale Organic Farming by Jean-Martin Fortier (Author), Severine von Tscharner Fleming (Foreword), illustrations by Marie Bilodeu
Goat Health Care, The Best of Ruminations 2001-2007 by Cheryl K. Smith, illustrations by Myra Klote
The Chicken Chick’s Guide to Backyard Chickens: Simple Steps for Healthy, Happy Hens by Kathy Shea Mormino
The Storey’s Guide to _______________. Storey’s is a series of how-to guides on just about everything farm related. If you need a place to start, on anything from bee keeping to raising mini livestock, Storey’s probably has a guide for it.
Goats
Meat Goats: Reproduction, Nutrition and Health by Julio E. Correa, Maria L. Leite-Browning, Robert D. Spencer, Gregory L. Brann, F. David Gonsoulin, published 2010 by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System
Holistic Goat Care: A Comprehensive Guide to Raising Healthy Animals, Preventing Common Ailments, and Troubleshooting Problems Hardcover by Gianaclis Caldwell
Peace, Love, Goats of Anarchy: How My Little Goats Taught Me Huge Lessons about Life by Leanne Lauricella and Alli Brydon
The Meat Goat Handbook: Raising Goats for Food, Profit, and Fun Paperback by Yvonne Zweede-Tucker
Sheep and Goat Medicine 2nd Edition by David G. Pugh DVM MS MAG (Author), N. (Nickie) Baird DVM MS DACVS (Author)
Chickens
The Chicken Health Handbook, 2nd Edition: A Complete Guide to Maximizing Flock Health and Dealing with Disease, Second Edition, by Gail Damerow
101 Chicken Keeping Hacks from Fresh Eggs Daily: Tips, Tricks, and Ideas for You and your Hens by Lisa Steele
Gardening with Chickens: Plans and Plants for You and Your Hens by Lisa Steele
50 Do-It-Yourself Projects for Keeping Chickens: Chicken Coops, Brooders, Runs, Swings, Dust Baths, and More! by Janet Garman
Cattle
The Small-Scale Dairy: The Complete Guide to Milk Production for the Home and Market by Gianaclis Caldwell
Beef Cattle: Keeping a Small-Scale Herd for Pleasure and Profit (Hobby Farms) by Ann Larkin Hansen
Livestock
Temple Grandin’s Guide to Working with Farm Animals: Safe, Humane Livestock Handling Practices for the Small Farm by Temple Grandin
The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals: Choose the Best Breeds for Small-Space Farming, Produce Your Own Grass-Fed Meat, Gather Fresh … Rabbits, Goats, Sheep, Pigs, Cattle, & Bees by Gail Damerow
Gardening
Floret Farm’s Cut Flower Garden: Grow, Harvest, and Arrange Stunning Seasonal Blooms (Gardening Book for Beginners, Floral Design and Flower Arranging Book) by Erin Benzakein , Julie Chai, et al.
The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible, 2nd Edition by Edward C. Smith
The Organic Gardener’s Handbook of Natural Pest and Disease Control: A Complete Guide to Maintaining a Healthy Garden and Yard the Earth-Friendly Way (Rodale Organic Gardening) by Fern Marshall Bradley (Editor), Barbara W. Ellis (Editor), Deborah L. Martin (Editor)
Don’t Throw In the Trowel!: Vegetable Gardening Month by Month (Easy-Growing Gardening Series Book 1) by Melinda R. Cordell (Author)
Raised Bed Gardening for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know to Start and Sustain a Thriving Garden by Tammy Wylie
Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide: 33 Healing Herbs to Know, Grow, and Use by Rosemary Gladstar
The Complete Book of Herbs: A Practical Guide to Growing and Using Herbs by Lesley Bremness
Greenhouse Gardening: How to Build a Greenhouse and Grow Vegetables, Herbs and Fruit All Year-Round (Urban Homesteading) by Richard Bray
Fruit
Grow a Little Fruit Tree: Simple Pruning Techniques for Small-Space, Easy-Harvest Fruit Trees by Ann Ralph (Author)
The Fruit Gardener’s Bible: A Complete Guide to Growing Fruits and Nuts in the Home Garden by Lewis Hill and Leonard Perry
The Holistic Orchard: Tree Fruits and Berries the Biological Way by Michael Phillips
Small Farms
Compact Farms: 15 Proven Plans for Market Farms on 5 Acres or Less; Includes Detailed Farm Layouts for Productivity and Efficiency Kindle Edition by Josh Volk (Author), Michael Ableman (Foreword)
Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre Paperback – April 1, 2010 by Brett L. Markham (Author)
The Backyard Homestead: Produce all the food you need on just a quarter acre! by Carleen Madigan (Editor)
Business
The Profitable Hobby Farm, How to Build a Sustainable Local Foods Business 1st Edition by Sarah Beth Aubrey
Your Successful Farm Business: Production, Profit, Pleasure by Joel Salatin (Author)
You Can Farm: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Start & Succeed in a Farming Enterprise 1st Edition by Joel Salatin (Author)
The Farmer’s Office: Tools, Tips and Templates to Successfully Manage a Growing Farm Business by Julia Shanks (Author)
Farm Marketing from the Heart: How to attract your dream customers and build your profitable farm. by Charlotte Smith
Homemade
Homemade for Sale: How to Set Up and Market a Food Business from Your Home Kitchen by Lisa Kivirist and John Ivanko
101 Easy Homemade Products for Your Skin, Health & Home: A Nerdy Farm Wife’s All-Natural DIY Projects Using Commonly Found Herbs, Flowers & Other Plants by Jan Berry
Simple & Natural Soapmaking: Create 100% Pure and Beautiful Soaps with The Nerdy Farm Wife’s Easy Recipes and Techniques by Jan Berry
Not Your Mama’s Canning Book: Modern Canned Goods and What to Make with Them by Rebecca Lindamood
The Complete Guide to Pressure Canning: Everything You Need to Know to Can Meats, Vegetables, Meals in a Jar, and More by Devereaux – The Canning Diva, Diane
Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving by Judi Kingry and Lauren Devine
Do-It-Yourself Herbal Medicine: Home-Crafted Remedies for Health and Beauty by Sonoma Press
Just Because
Little Farm Homegrown: A Memoir of Food-Growing, Midlife, and Self-Reliance on a Small Homestead (Little Farm in the Foothills Book 2) by Susan Colleen Browne (Author), John F. Browne (Author)
Growing Tomorrow: A Farm-to-Table Journey in Photos and Recipes: Behind the Scenes with 18 Extraordinary Sustainable Farmers Who Are Changing the Way We Eat by Forrest Pritchard (Author), Molly M. Peterson (Photographer), Deborah Madison (Foreword)
Folks, This Ain’t Normal: A Farmer’s Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World by Joel Salatin (Author)
Letter to a Young Farmer: How to Live Richly without Wealth on the New Garden Farm by Gene Logsdon and Wendell Berry
The Unsettling of America: Culture & Agriculture by Wendell Berry
And one to grow on! For all the women farmers out there I couldn’t resist #51
For the Women
Soil Sisters: A Toolkit for Women Farmers Paperback by Lisa Kivirist (Author)
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