A Bold Return to Giving a Damn: One Farm, Six Generations, and the Future of Food

Anyone who appreciates good and healthy grass fed foods should read this book. Anyone who thinks they are too expensive should also read this book. Both will see how hard this man and his family, his animals and his employees work to make this dream a reality.

I like how this isn't a detailed and confusing "how to" book but rather its written as a personal story of going from major AG to more sustainable farming. I like reading books from people with different viewpoints of life than those of my own, but we can find common ground on sustainable AG here. I do wish he offered more details on what it was like for him as he faced these challenges though. What were you and your family thinking as you adjusted to such a big change? How did you press on when you probably wanted to give up? What helped you "keep on, keeping on"? What lessons did your family and your team learn through all this? Would you do anything differently if you were given the chance? I couldn't connect to the author as well as I hoped. It was more "I thought this is how it should go, so I did it." End of subject. It's a pretty good book though. Not my favorite, but I'm glad I read it nonetheless.

Chapter 3 - A Horrible Price to Pay : P. 72.  "Though resilience is what we gained, as a function of the water getting better, the land getting better, the town getting better, and the animals getting better. I made the changes that I made simply to get away from practices I found displeasing and wrong. I didn't wear a sack cloth and put ashes on my head. It wasn't a philanthropic endeavor. But I realized that I had fought nature all my life and I wasn't ever going to win. That's why, midway into my life, I walked away from the altar of technology. I turned my back on reductionist science. I ceased to listen to the specialists sponsored by the corporations, the consultants with the corporate name tags, and even to other farmers and ranchers who followed all the corporate rules. And I started to listen to nature, which knows everything and never lies. And the farm started working properly again. Because here is what I know now, unshakably and unequivocally: If you will just sit still and shut up and pay attention, nature will tell you everything you need to know. She will provide you with everything you need to make your farm work. Nature knows everything, forgets nothing, and bats last." (Dr. Chip): It is the same with our health. When a person is still and becomes an observer, no longer living by what is popular and instead learning to be quiet and becoming aware of their body, they will see exactly what their body needs each day.