Sign-In
Cart
Why Cows Need Names: And More Secrets of Amish Farms
Hardcover
Publisher Price: $28.95
ISBN13: 9781606351680
Publisher: Kent State University Press / Black Squirrel
Published: Oct 15 2013
Pages: 200
Weight: 1.15
Height: 1.00 Width: 5.90 Depth: 9.10
Language: English
An inspiring glimpse into the struggles of a young Amish farm family
Agriculture continues to be the largest industry in the United States with over 2.2 million farms. Amazingly, well over 100,000 new small family farms have sprung up in the past few years . . . and almost no one noticed.
Why Cows Need Names follows one young Amish family as they dream about and then struggle to establish a profitable and quintessentially American small farm. The story starts with Eli Gingerich's first timid phone call to author Randy James, the county agricultural agent in Ohio's Geauga Amish Settlement--the fourth-largest Amish settlement in the world--and traces the family's progress over the next five years. Through gentle dialogue and true stories, James captures the challenges of creating a simple business plan that will lead to the family's radiant success or dismal failure. As the narrative unfolds, readers get a rare glimpse into what it's like to work in the fields with draft horses; in the barn with cows, calves, children, and Chip the family dog; or to sit at the table talking with family and friends over a noontime meal. A picture emerges of how quietly living a shared goal and doing without during hard times can strengthen families and provide an appreciation for what is truly important in life.
In addition to the business aspects and day-to-day farm activities, James interweaves commentary on our complex relationships with animals. The stark differences in the way animals are treated and valued in agribusinesses versus on small family farms is a recurring theme, as is debunking the myth that bigger is always better in American agriculture.
Surrounded by a factory-farm world, the Gingerich family employs a business model that flatly rejects the dogma of economies of scale and instead focuses on the diversity, flexibility, and efficiency that only a small family farm can capture. Why Cows Need Names provides a partial roadmap, not only for other small farms but for the many thousands of family businesses that are created each year and largely ignored in our national psyche. It will appeal to anyone interested in business management, our food supply, animal welfare, and Amish family life.
management, our food supply, animal welfare, and Amish family life.Also from
James
The First and Second Gospels of the Infancy of Jesus Christ: Christian Apocrypha Series
Thomas
James
Paperback
Also in
Agriculture
The Pig and I: The Tale of Our Relationship with a Beast We Eat
Endresen, Kristoffer Hattleland
Hardcover
Wildly Successful Farming: Sustainability and the New Agricultural Land Ethic
DeVore, Brian
Hardcover
The Secret History of Food: Strange But True Stories about the Origins of Everything We Eat
Siegel, Matt
Hardcover
Animal, Vegetable, Junk: A History of Food, from Sustainable to Suicidal: A Food Science Nutrition History Book
Bittman, Mark
Hardcover
Finding the Flavors We Lost: From Bread to Bourbon, How Artisans Reclaimed American Food
Kuh, Patric
Paperback
Flow Hive's Book of Bees and Beekeeping: Protect, Enjoy, Harvest
Anderson, Stuart
Anderson, Cedar
Hardcover
Basic Butchering of Livestock & Game: Beef, Veal, Pork, Lamb, Poultry, Rabbit, Venison
Mettler, John J.
Paperback
The Mushroom at the End of the World: On the Possibility of Life in Capitalist Ruins
Tsing, Anna Lowenhaupt
Paperback
The Home Blacksmith: Tools, Techniques, and 40 Practical Projects for the Home Blacksmith
Ridgway, Ryan
Paperback
Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens, 4th Edition: Breed Selection, Facilities, Feeding, Health Care, Managing Layers & Meat Birds
Damerow, Gail
Paperback
Sea of Grass: The Conquest, Ruin, and Redemption of Nature on the American Prairie
Hage, Dave
Marcotty, Josephine
Hardcover
An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Keeping a Pet Rabbit: Handling, Feeding, Housing, and Grooming
Cinteza, Adriana
Paperback
Let's Become Fungal!: Mycelium Teachings and the Arts: Based on Conversations with Indigenous Wisdom Keepers, Artists, Curators, Feminists and Mycolog
Ostendorf-Rodríguez, Yasmine
Paperback
Mushrooming Without Fear: The Beginner's Guide to Collecting Safe and Delicious Mushrooms
Schwab, Alexander
Paperback
Africulture: How the Principles, Practices, Plants, and People of African Descent Have Shaped American Agriculture
Carter, Michael, Jr.
Hardcover
The Complete Guide to Home Permaculture: How to Transform Your Yard Into a Thriving and Productive Ecosystem
Hall, Brandy
Hardcover
We Are Eating the Earth: The Race to Fix Our Food System and Save Our Climate
Grunwald, Michael
Hardcover
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - Tenth Anniversary Edition: A Year of Food Life
Kingsolver, Camille
Hopp, Steven L.
Kingsolver, Barbara
Paperback
The Beekeeper's Bible: Bees, Honey, Recipes & Other Home Uses
Sweeney-Lynch, Sharon
Jones, Richard a.
Hardcover
Feed the People!: Why Industrial Food Is Good and How to Make It Even Better
Rosenberg, Gabriel N.
Dutkiewicz, Jan
Hardcover
The Science of Spice: Understand Flavor Connections and Revolutionize Your Cooking
Farrimond, Stuart
Hardcover
Seeds of Hope: The Azure Standard Story--Abundant Living Through Healthy Food
Stelzer, David
Hardcover
The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It: The Complete Back-To-Basics Guide
Seymour, John
Hardcover
Beekeeping For Beginners: The Beginning Beekeepers Guide on Keeping Bees, Maintaining Hives and Harvesting Honey
Morrow, Erin
Paperback
The Living Soil Handbook: The No-Till Grower's Guide to Ecological Market Gardening
Frost, Jesse
Paperback
Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm's Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land
Penniman, Leah
Paperback
The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook: More Than 200 Fibers, from Animal to Spun Yarn
Robson, Deborah
Ekarius, Carol
Hardcover
Accidental Shepherd: How a California Girl Rescued an Ancient Mountain Farm in Norway
Greensfelder, Liese
Hardcover
The Last Sweet Bite: Stories and Recipes of Culinary Heritage Lost and Found
Shaikh, Michael
Hardcover
The Beginner's Guide to Backyard Homesteading: Step-By-Step Instructions for Raising Crops and Animals
Lombardo, Lisa
Paperback
The Market Gardener: A Successful Grower's Handbook for Small-Scale Organic Farming
Fortier, Jean-Martin
Paperback
The Oyster Book: A Chronicle of the World's Most Fascinating Shellfish--Past, Present, and Future
Martino, Dan
Paperback
The Julia Rothman Collection: Farm Anatomy, Nature Anatomy, and Food Anatomy
Rothman, Julia
Paperback
Keeping a Family Cow: The Complete Guide for Home-Scale, Holistic Dairy Producers, 3rd Edition
Grohman, Joann S.
Paperback
Debunked by Nature: How a Vegan-Chef-Turned-Regenerative-Farmer Discovered that Mother Nature Is a Conservative
Engelhart, Mollie
Paperback
The Field Guide to Fleece: 100 Sheep Breeds & How to Use Their Fibers
Ekarius, Carol
Robson, Deborah
Paperback
The Backyard Chicken Keeper's Bible: Discover Chicken Breeds, Behavior, Coops, Eggs, and More
Ellis, Sonya Patel
Ford, Jessica
Federman, Rachel
Hardcover
Life on the Octopus Farm: The Ethics and Future of Growing the World's Most Intelligent Invertebrate
Schweid, Richard
Paperback
Farmall Cub Encyclopedia: The Essential Guide to Models, History, Implements, and Repair
Gingell, Rachel
Updike, Kenneth
Paperback
The Backyard Homestead Seasonal Planner: What to Do & When to Do It in the Garden, Orchard, Barn, Pasture & Equipment Shed
Hansen, Ann Larkin
Paperback
Sugar Coated: Unboxing the Hidden Forces Shaping America's Favorite Breakfast Food Volume 89
Nestle, Marion
Sutherland, Lisa
Hardcover
Wicked Bugs: The Louse That Conquered Napoleon's Army & Other Diabolical Insects
Stewart, Amy
Hardcover
One-Cow Revolution: Achieving Food Independence with a Grass-Fed Family Cow
Dougherty, Beth
Dougherty, Shawn
Paperback
How to Speak Chicken: Why Your Chickens Do What They Do & Say What They Say
Caughey, Melissa
Paperback
The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer, Revised Edition: How to Produce High-Quality Herbs on a Market Scale
Carpenter, Jeff
Paperback
Farming the Woods: An Integrated Permaculture Approach to Growing Food and Medicinals in Temperate Forests
Mudge, Ken
Gabriel, Steve
Paperback
Land Rich, Cash Poor: My Family's Hope and the Untold History of the Disappearing American Farmer
Reisinger, Brian
Paperback
Storey's Guide to Raising Sheep, 5th Edition: Breeding, Care, Facilities
Simmons, Paula
Ekarius, Carol
Paperback
The Beekeeper's Lament: How One Man and Half a Billion Honey Bees Help Feed America
Nordhaus, Hannah
Paperback
Song of Increase: Listening to the Wisdom of Honeybees for Kinder Beekeeping and a Better World
Freeman, Jacqueline
Paperback
The Regenerative Garden: 80 Practical Projects for Creating a Self-Sustaining Garden Ecosystem
Rose, Stephanie
Paperback
The Lost Flock: Rare Wool, Wild Isles and One Woman's Journey to Save Scotland's Original Sheep
Cooper, Jane
Paperback
Backyard Beekeeping: Everything You Need to Know to Start Your First Hive
Burns, David
Burns, Sheri
Paperback
Unraveling: What I Learned about Life While Shearing Sheep, Dyeing Wool, and Making the World's Ugliest Sweater
Orenstein, Peggy
Paperback
Life and Death of the American Worker: The Immigrants Taking on America's Largest Meatpacking Company
Driver, Alice
Hardcover
Beeswax Alchemy: How to Make Your Own Soap, Candles, Balms, Creams, and Salves from the Hive
Ahnert, Petra
Paperback
An Illustrated Catalog of American Mushrooms
Us Department of Agriculture Maurice B Walters Collection
Hardcover
Attracting Native Pollinators: The Xerces Society Guide Protecting North America's Bees and Butterflies
The Xerces Society
Paperback
The Oyster Book: A Chronicle of the World's Most Fascinating Shellfish--Past, Present, and Future
Martino, Dan
Hardcover
The Unsettling of America (50th Anniversary Edition): Culture and Agriculture
Berry, Wendell
Paperback
A Bite-Sized History of France: Gastronomic Tales of Revolution, War, and Enlightenment
Mitchell, Jeni
Hénaut, Stéphane
Paperback
Nourishment: What Animals Can Teach Us about Rediscovering Our Nutritional Wisdom
Provenza, Fred
Paperback
The Swine Republic: Struggles with the Truth about Agriculture and Water Quality
Jones, Chris
Paperback
Polyface Designs: A Comprehensive Construction Guide for Scalable Farming Infrastructure
Slattery, Chris
Salatin, Joel
Paperback
Sepp Holzer's Permaculture: A Practical Guide to Small-Scale, Integrative Farming and Gardening
Holzer, Sepp
Paperback
You Can Farm: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Start and Succeed in a Farm Enterprise
Salatin, Joel
Paperback
Self-Rising: The Magic Rise Behind Biscuit and Cornbread Culture
Merrell, Mindy
Quinn, R. B.
Carman, Linda
Hardcover
The Lean Micro Farm: How to Get Small, Embrace Local, Live Better, and Work Less
Hartman, Ben
Paperback
Epic Homesteading: Your Guide to Self-Sufficiency on a Modern, High-Tech, Backyard Homestead
Espiritu, Kevin
Paperback