Review by Booklist Review
Logsdon, an Ohio farmer who has written more than 20 books, brings his gentle iconoclasm to the case against the grain feeding of livestock in favor of pasture farming. His arguments against grain feeding: the too-heavy investment in machinery for sowing and harvesting of grain, the need for pesticides to protect monocultural grain crops, the environmental costs required to haul grain to livestock farmers, storage costs, the need to dispose of manure from livestock feedlots, and the steep labor costs to manage all of this. His arguments for pasturing: The animals do the harvesting, apply their manure for fertilizer, and eat most of the weeds. As it has for years, Logsdon's conversational style makes his material immediately appealing, but there is also solid advice on how to pasture various kinds of livestock (cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, horses, mules, donkeys, chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys), how to rotate grass crops, which grasses work best, how to water livestock, how to incorporate some grains into the animals' diets, and which fences make for the best neighbors. A deceptively important book for the working, the would-be, and the armchair farmer alike. --Alan Moores Copyright 2004 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Logsdon (The Contrary Farmer) mixes philosophy, opinion, farming specifics, and practical advice in this provocative look at the age-old practice of grassland, or pasture, farming. The author describes this method-in which cattle, sheep, and other livestock are managed in paddocks (plots) of bluegrass, clover, alfalfa, and other mixes of grasses and legumes-and even discusses pasturing horses, mules, and donkeys, a healthy alternative to the common small, manure-filled shed with a barren dirt lot. Logsdon relates experiences from his small Ohio farm and tells the stories of other successful grass-farming operations. For urban refugees in the country, he stresses the ease with which pasture farming can be accomplished on a small acreage with only a few animals and demonstrates how well it fits in with traditional gardening and lawn care. Recommended for public and academic libraries where there is an interest in back-to-the-land books.-William H. Wiese, Iowa State Univ. Lib., Ames (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
