Ploughing Up The Farm

"Ploughing Up the Farm brings together an array of evidence to show that the past twenty years - a period of "neoliberal globalization" - has brought about rural depopulation in the North, rising rural poverty in the South and environmental problems to all farming communities. Jerry Buckland calls for farm policies founded on farmer-led food security and a democratization of global institutions as the means to arrest these trends."--BOOK JACKET.

Around the world, farmers' livelihoods and food security have eroded in the past 20 years. Increasing reliance on markets and modern technology has not generated universal farm affluence. Neoliberalism has brought about rural depopulation in the northern hemisphere, rising rural poverty in the southern, and environmental problems all around the farming world. Farmgate prices have stagnated since the 1980s, while market-driven growth has encouraged production of agricultural exports and increasing use of chemical inputs. Trade liberalization is often biased against southern and small farmers, while the power of transnational corporations in agricultural trade and farm technology has grown by leaps and bounds. The corporate-driven GM-food revolution has had little positive effect on farm livelihoods or food security. The book calls for farm policies founded on farmer-led food security and a democratization of the global institutions that have had such detrimental effects.

Mr. Faulkner’s masterpiece is recognized as the most important challenge to agricultural orthodoxy that has been advanced in this century. Its new philosophy of the soil, based on proven principles and completely opposed to age-old concepts, has had a strong impact upon theories of cultivation around the world. It was on July 5, 1943, when Plowman’s Folly was first issued, that the author startled a lethargic public, long bemused by the apparently insoluble problem of soil depletion, by saying, simply, “The fact is that no one has ever advanced a scientific reason for plowing.” With the key sentence, he opened a new era.For generations, our reasoning about the management of the soil has rested upon the use of the moldboard plow. Mr. Faulkner proved rather conclusively that soil impoverishment, erosion, decreasing crop yields, and many of the adverse effects following droughts or periods of excessive rainfall could be traced directly to the practice of plowing natural fertilizers deep into the soil. Through his own test-plot and field-scale experiments, in which he prepared the soil with a disk harrow, in emulation of nature’s way on the forest floor and in the natural meadow, by incorporating green manures into its surface, he transformed ordinary, even inferior, soils into extremely productive, high-yield croplands.Time magazine called this concept “one of the most revolutionary ideas in agriculture history.” The volume is being made available again not only because farmers, ranchers, gardeners, and agriculturists demanded it, but also because it details the kind of “revolution” which will aid those searching for the fruits of the earth in the emerging nations.

* Are farmers considered to be romantic?* How can you find the right woman to be your perfect farm wife? * What will it take for your mother and your wife to get on?* Is it ever a good idea to live with your parents?* How can you get away for a break?Farmer/farmer's wife and author Lorna Sixsmith looks at what it takes to become an Ideal Farm Husband. You'll find out how little effort it takes to be romantic, how to propose with pizzazz, the best ways to survive stresses like the Pre Silage Tension and the Pre Scanning Shakes, and how to overcome your disappointment at finding your girlfriend is not, after all, telepathic. You'll discover why water, social media, sales representatives, your dog and sharing housework are so important for your wellbeing.With "his and her" quizzes to test your progress (and yes, there are wrong answers), this is a book you can read together to ensure you become a modern, IDEAL farm husband. This is a perfect read for all farm husbands and boyfriends (and wives and girlfriends), and country lovers everywhere.

In 1910, when Olaf F. Larson was born to tenant livestock and tobacco farmers in Rock County, Wisconsin, the original barn still stood on the property. It was filled with artifacts of an earlier time—an ox yoke, a grain cradle, a scythe used to cut hay by hand. But Larson came of age in a brave new world of modern inventions—tractors, trucks, combines, airplanes—that would change farming and rural life forever. When Horses Pulled the Plow is Larson’s account of that rural life in the early twentieth century. He weaves invaluable historical details—including descriptions of farm equipment, crops, and livestock—with wry tales about his family, neighbors, and the one-room schoolhouse he attended, revealing the texture of everyday life in the rural Midwest almost a century ago. This memoir, written by Larson in his ninth decade, provides a wealth of details recalled from an earlier era and an illuminating read for anyone with their own memories of growing up on a farm.

The farmer¿s role is to conduct the symphony of plants and soil. In this book, learn how to coax the most out of your plants by providing the best soil and removing all yield-limiting factors. Schriefer is best known for his ¿systems¿ approach to tillage and soil fertility, which is detailed here. Managing soil aeration, water, and residue decay are covered, as well as ridge planting systems, guidelines for cultivating row crops, and managing soil fertility. Develop your own soil fertility system for long-term productivity.

'The embodiment of the spirit of rural Ireland' Anna May McHugh's name is synonymous with 'the Ploughing' - the annual Championships of the National Ploughing Association. The event is the biggest outdoor agricultural show in Europe and Anna May is the driving force behind its spectacular growth. Anna May now tells her story. Her description of growing up as part of a large family in rural County Laois is an evocative and affectionate account of an Ireland that is now gone. But in her account of how she went from being a secretary of the Ploughing Association, her first job, to becoming - to her own amazement - its managing director twenty years later is a story of leadership and people skills that are very much of the twenty-first century. Anna May was truly ahead of her time. Still living in County Laois, close to where she grew up, and now in her eighties, Anna May still runs the multi-million euro operation from her home, alongside her daughter, Anna Marie. Queen of the Ploughing is a captivating read, full of warmth, lively stories and Anna May's sharp observations. And it's not just about Anna May's life, but is also a celebration of the best of Irish life over eight decades.

Journey into the heartland of rural Ireland, in words and images, from the 1930s to today. Meet the characters behind the Ploughing Championships, past and present. Witness the traditions and stories from a changing way of life, where community spirit remains central, and the plough keeps turning the sod, year on year . . . Since the early 1930s, The National Ploughing Championships has occupied a special place in the heart of rural Irish life, when people gather from every corner of the country to show off their skills and engage in sport, fun and business. Here, for the first time, the magic of the Ploughing is captured in word and image. We follow Valerie Cox as she journeys around Ireland to meet the people who make this national institution great, and record the stories of what the ploughing means to them, whether it's vintage tractors, a pair of Clydesdales or a plough handed down from a grandfather. Among others, we meet three-time world champion Martin Keogh, take an unforgettable trip to Thady Kelleher country in East Cork, and are enchanted by the first even Queen of the Plough Anna Mai Donegan, who won her crown in 1955. This beautiful book also provides a record of a landscape that may bear little resemblance to that of the 1930s but, in important ways - of family, community and the nod and wink of the business deal - is little changed. A gift, a keepsake, A Ploughing People is a unique celebration of the best of Irish life.