Iowa ranks first in the U.S. in the number of hogs, egg layers, and pullets and in the production of corn and soybeans. Yes, the number of farms is shrinking, and their size is increasing. Yes, most Iowans now live in towns, compared to a hundred years ago, when the majority lived on farms. But despite urbanization and the rise of corporate farming, the family farmmore than 77,000 of them at last countis still a vital part of Iowa’s identity. Fly over the state in summertime or drive across it in fall, when the headlights of tractors shine from the fields at night and golden mountains of corn are stacked around elevators, and it’s easy to see that an enormous percentage is farmlandmore than 85 percent, in fact.
Kirk Murray’s loving and endearing photographs make this guide the perfect companion for drives in the countryside in all seasons. They celebrate the rich activities and varied beauties of each season on the farm, from the starkness of winter whites to the pale and rich greens of spring and summer to the rust-reds and golds of fall. Murray’s photos of sprouting corn at dawn, a summer sun shining on a farm pond, and a full moon over a silver silo echo Grant Wood and Vincent Van Gogh; his photos of tilling, planting, and harvesting are bright and energizing; his scenes of barnyards and fields and farmsteads are colorful and luminous; and his photos of farm animals are just plain fun.
With eighty full-color photographs of the most common animals, activities, crops, and buildings that you can expect to see whenever you pass a family farmstead, Iowa Farm in Your Pocket will be a treat for all newcomers to a state where corn and beans and hogs rule, for both urban and rural children and their parents, and for all those who want to revisit memories of growing up on a farm.
Iowa ranks first in the U.S. in the number of hogs, egg layers, and pullets and in the production of corn and soybeans. Yes, the number of farms is shrinking, and their size is increasing. Yes, most Iowans now live in towns, compared to a hundred years ago, when the majority lived on farms. But despite urbanization and the rise of corporate farming, the family farmmore than 77,000 of them at last countis still a vital part of Iowa’s identity. Fly over the state in summertime or drive across it in fall, when the headlights of tractors shine from the fields at night and golden mountains of corn are stacked around elevators, and it’s easy to see that an enormous percentage is farmlandmore than 85 percent, in fact.
Kirk Murray’s loving and endearing photographs make this guide the perfect companion for drives in the countryside in all seasons. They celebrate the rich activities and varied beauties of each season on the farm, from the starkness of winter whites to the pale and rich greens of spring and summer to the rust-reds and golds of fall. Murray’s photos of sprouting corn at dawn, a summer sun shining on a farm pond, and a full moon over a silver silo echo Grant Wood and Vincent Van Gogh; his photos of tilling, planting, and harvesting are bright and energizing; his scenes of barnyards and fields and farmsteads are colorful and luminous; and his photos of farm animals are just plain fun.
With eighty full-color photographs of the most common animals, activities, crops, and buildings that you can expect to see whenever you pass a family farmstead, Iowa Farm in Your Pocket will be a treat for all newcomers to a state where corn and beans and hogs rule, for both urban and rural children and their parents, and for all those who want to revisit memories of growing up on a farm.
Iowa Farm in Your Pocket: A Beginner's Guide
16Iowa Farm in Your Pocket: A Beginner's Guide
16Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9781587298769 |
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Publisher: | University of Iowa Press |
Publication date: | 05/10/2009 |
Series: | Bur Oak Guide |
Edition description: | 1 |
Pages: | 16 |
Sales rank: | 1,098,017 |
Product dimensions: | 4.10(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.50(d) |