Twenty years ago Joel Salatin wrote You Can Farm, which has launched thousands of farm entrepreneurs around the world. With another 20 years of experience under his belt, bringing him to the half-century mark as a full-time farmer, he decided to build on that foundation with a sequel, a graduate level curriculum. Everyone who reads and enjoys that previous work will benefit from this additional information. In those 20 years, Polyface Farm progressed from a small family operation to a 20-person, 6,000-customer, 50-restaurant business, all without sales targets, government grants, or an off-farm nest egg. As a germination tray for new farmers ready to take over the 50 percent of America's agricultural equity that will become available over the next two decades, Polyface Farm in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley stands as a beacon of hope in a food and farming system floundering in dysfunction: toxicity, pathogenicity, nutrient deficiency, bankruptcy, geezers, and erosion. Speaking into that fear and confusion, Salatin offers a pathway to success, with production, profit, and pleasure thrown in for good measure.
Joel Salatin and his family own Polyface Farm in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. The farm grows pastured livestock and forestry products, marketing directly to thousands of families. Featured in countless print media, documentaries, and YouTube videos, the farm represents the best in commercial-scale environmental agriculture. He speaks internationally to food and farming conferences, has authored 16 books, and is editor of The Stockman Grass Farmer, the world’s premier trade publication for pasture-based livestock farming. Some 15,000 visitors a year come to the farm for tours, food, education, and entertainment. He writes columns for Plain Values magazine, homestead journals, and Manward, an e-magazine.
Twenty years ago Joel Salatin wrote You Can Farm, which has launched thousands of farm entrepreneurs around the world. With another 20 years of experience under his belt, bringing him to the half-century mark as a full-time farmer, he decided to build on that foundation with a sequel, a graduate level curriculum. Everyone who reads and enjoys that previous work will benefit from this additional information. In those 20 years, Polyface Farm progressed from a small family operation to a 20-person, 6,000-customer, 50-restaurant business, all without sales targets, government grants, or an off-farm nest egg. As a germination tray for new farmers ready to take over the 50 percent of America's agricultural equity that will become available over the next two decades, Polyface Farm in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley stands as a beacon of hope in a food and farming system floundering in dysfunction: toxicity, pathogenicity, nutrient deficiency, bankruptcy, geezers, and erosion. Speaking into that fear and confusion, Salatin offers a pathway to success, with production, profit, and pleasure thrown in for good measure.
Author
Joel Salatin and his family own Polyface Farm in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. The farm grows pastured livestock and forestry products, marketing directly to thousands of families. Featured in countless print media, documentaries, and YouTube videos, the farm represents the best in commercial-scale environmental agriculture. He speaks internationally to food and farming conferences, has authored 16 books, and is editor of The Stockman Grass Farmer, the world’s premier trade publication for pasture-based livestock farming. Some 15,000 visitors a year come to the farm for tours, food, education, and entertainment. He writes columns for Plain Values magazine, homestead journals, and Manward, an e-magazine.
