Woman-Powered Farm: Manual for a Self-Sufficient Lifestyle from Homestead to Field

by Audrey Levatino, Michael Levatino (Photographer)

Overview

To go-to guide for women who want to be part of the farming revolution.

Women are leading the new farming revolution in America. Much of the impetus to move back to the land, raise our own food, and connect with our agricultural past is being driven by women. They raise sheep for wool, harvest honey from their beehives, grow food for their families and sell their goods at farmers' markets. What does a woman who wants to work the land need to do to follow her dream?

First, she needs this book. It may seem strange to suggest that women farmers need a different guide than male farmers, but women often have different strengths and goals, and different ways of achieving those goals. Audrey Levatino shares her experiences of running a farm and offers invaluable advice on how to get started, whether you have hundreds of acres or a simple lot for an urban community garden. Filled with personal anecdotes and stories from other women farmers, from old hands to brand new ones, from agricultural icons like Temple Grandin, to her own sister, this book is a reassuring and inspirational guide that discusses:

• Should you do an internship or jump right in?
• How to find a farm or how to handle one that you’ve inherited
• Best practices for selling at the farmer’s market and how to sell your goods locally
• Farmhouse chores and how to get them done right
• How to handle large power tools, including a chainsaw
• Planning and growing an organic farm garden
• Incorporating animals as part of a farm ecosystem
• Where to get started if you want to farm-school your kids
• Tips for keeping your mind, body and spirit healthy while undertaking the demanding nature of farm work

It's all here, in the same warm and friendly voice that readers embraced in The Joy of Hobby Farming. Full-color photography throughout provides step-by-step instructions for anything you’ll need to do on your farm.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781581576542
Publisher:	Countryman Press, The
Publication date:	04/27/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	49 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Audrey Levatino has been farming for thirteen years. For the last eight she has been growing specialty cut flowers and selling them at local farmers' markets, florists, restaurants, and for weddings. She and her husband, Michael, are the authors of The Joy of Hobby Farming. They care for crops and a menagerie of animals on their 23-acre farm, Ted’s Last Stand, near Gordonsville, Virginia.
Michael Levatino works off the farm at a major publishing house, and is the co-author of The Joy of Hobby Farming His twenty-three-acre farm, Ted’s Last Stand, is located outside of Gordonsville, Virginia.

Table of Contents

Introduction 8

Chapter 1 A Call to Farm-A Farm History of Women 16

Chapter 2 Learning About Farming-Internships, Classes, Resources, Neighbors, and Associations 24

Chapter 3 Finding a Farm-Buying, Leasing, and Inheriting 36

Chapter 4 The Healthy Farmer-Keeping Your Mind, Body, and Spirit Safe, Healthy, and Happy 70

Chapter 5 Getting to Know Your Farm from House to Field 86

Chapter 6 Tools and Techniques 106

Chapter 7 Growing on the Farm 152

Chapter 8 Farm Animals 220

Chapter 9 The Farm as a Business 276

Chapter 10 Farm Education and Farm Schooling 318

Resources 331

Index 336

Editorial Reviews

"Woman-Powered Farm is a valuable book for female farmers across the country. It’s encouraging, it’s practical, and it’s a reminder that in this male-dominated culture, women can more than hold their own on a farm."

Hobby Farms

★ 06/15/2015
Agricultural pursuits, whether in urban or community gardens, or across acres of land, are more and more under the aegis of women. Levantino (The Joy of Hobby Farming), a farmer herself, takes readers into the growing field of women-controlled farming. From entrepreneurial pursuits in farmer's markets to small business and traditional farms, Levantino outlines how women can build a self-sufficient life. Highlighting specific situations and concerns that women may encounter, such as understanding individual goals; finding experience with internships and other farm education; purchasing or leasing land; and the basics of chores, animal care, and crops, including issues of health and strength, the author offers chapters on the business side of farming and farm schooling to create a full-circle analysis of the subject, while stories from other female farmers lend an inspirational touch to an otherwise information-rich work. VERDICT A comprehensive volume on farming for women beginning to contemplate the industry, whether as a hobby or for a living. Personal anecdotes and a friendly tone don't overshadow the wealth of information in this book.—Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., South Deerfield

Library Journal