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

I have read about half of this so far and love it. I am reading lots of books on the subject, and this is definitely another good one. I believe I will be able to put many of these ideas into practical use.

I got a lot out of this book. The book gave good information on setting realistic goals and what to plan on for your farm.

If you are thinking about farming on a large scale or small, this book is a must - have. Ron Macher has written this book clearly and precisly, using his years of experience, as well as others. Most for me is his application of renewing the soil with plants and animals, and running a sustainable farm of any size. There is no pretense that farming is not hard work, but he has broken it down in such a way that you can learn to manage all aspects of farming. I would buy this book for anyone thinking about farming, and it will remain off my bookshelf to be used as a reference over & over.

I had originally purchased this book for a class in Sustainable Agriculture. It was not only a useful resource for the class, but I have found myself referencing this text time and time again for various projects, questions, and just enjoyment.

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.