Best Books on Farming – A Crowdsourced List

If you listen to the podcast, you know that I’m fascinated with agriculture and its ecological and economic benefits to our culture here in the American West. Recently, I’ve been working in the farming community along Colorado’s lower Arkansas Valley—some of the most fertile and productive farmland in the Rocky Mountain West. I am thoroughly impressed by these farmers’ tireless work ethic, their commitment to sustainable agricultural practices, and their desire to see the land remain in production, rather than being developed into another poorly planned strip mall or housing development.

My immersion in Colorado’s farming culture has only whet my appetite to learn more, so I reached out to the podcast listeners via Instagram and asked “What is the best book on farming that you’ve ever read?” I received so many excellent suggestions, from well-known bestsellers to esoteric cult classics.  The full list is below, in no particular order.

Keep in mind, I have not read most of these books (yet), so I can’t vouch for all of them personally. But given the curiosity and passion of Mountain & Prairie Podcast listeners, I trust that these books offer valuable perspectives on farming and agriculture—a diverse set of historical, philisophical, technical, cultural, and ecological outlooks on a complex subject. While I may not agree with every point made in these books, I do love the process of learning, exploring new ideas, challenging my preconceived notions, and making up my mind based on thorough reading and research.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to reach out with recommendations. If you notice any glaring omissions, please let me know in the comments below!

• Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman: Conservation Heroes of the American Heartland by Marian Horn
• Lentil Underground: Renegade Farmers and the Future of Food in America by Liz Carlisle
• A Thousand Acres: A Novel by Jane Smiley
• This Blessed Earth: A Year in the Life of an American Family Farm by Ted Genoways
• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver
• Wendell Berry: Port William Novels & Stories by Wendell Berry
• Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry
• Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry
• The Gift of Good Land: Further Essays Cultural and Agricultural by Wendell Berry
• Greenhorns: The Next Generation of American Farmers by Zoe Ida Bradbury
• The Dirty Life: A Memoir of Farming, Food, and Love by Kristin Kimball
• Folks, This Ain’t Normal: A Farmer’s Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World by Joel Salatin
• Your Successful Farm Business: Production, Profit, Pleasure by Joel Salatin
• The End of Plenty: The Race to Feed a Crowded World by Joel K, Bourne, Jr.
• The Market Gardener: A Successful Grower’s Handbook for Small-Scale Organic Farming by Jean-Martin Fortier
• 40 Chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry Word by Howard Buffett
• The Wizard and the Prophet: Two Remarkable Scientists and Their Dueling Vision to Shape Tomorrow’s World by Charles C. Mann
• The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
• The Botany of Desire: A Plant-Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan
• Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food by Dan Barber
• The Shepherd’s Life: Modern Dispatches from an Ancient Landscape by James Rebanks
• Cowed: The Hidden Impact of 93 Million Cows on America’s Health, Economy, Politics, Culture. and Environment by Denis Hayes and Gail Boyer Hayes
• The Meat Racket: The Secret Takeover of America’s Food Business by Christopher Leonard
• The Rambunctious Garden: Saving Nature in a Post-Wild World by Emma Marris
• Farm Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of Country Life by Julia Rothman
• Restoration Agriculture: Real-World Permaculture for Farmers by Mark Shepard
• Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture by Toby Hemenway
• Agriculture: Spiritual Foundations for the Renewal of Agriculture by Rudolf Steiner
• Books by Elliot Coleman
• Books by Wendell Berry
• Books by Joel Salatin
• New Roots for Agriculture by Wes Jackson

May-June Book Club Selection: “The Big Burn” by Timothy Egan

If you listen to the podcast, odds are you’ve been paying close attention to the ongoing public lands debate. I’d also venture a guess that you’ve spent a considerable amount of time exploring public lands, whether scaling one of Colorado’s 14ers, camping in the alpine of the Wind River Range, or simply peering of the edge of the Grand Canyon. Public lands are what make the West the West, and they are the foundation of everything unique about the region, from wildlife to scenic views, natural resources to recreation.

To fully understand– or even begin to understand– the American West, you need to understand the history of public lands, so the May-June book club selection is:

The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America by Timothy Egan

The book is centered around a massive and deadly forest fire that burned over 3 million acres of Montana, Idaho, and Washington in just two days. While the story of the wildfire is exciting and tragic, I found the real value of this book to be the detailed history of the creation of the United States Forest Service—how our public lands came to be seen as a national treasure owned by the people, rather than a resource to be exploited by robber barons. 

As noted in the subtitle, the book digs into the role that Theodore Roosevelt played in shaping conservation policy, as well as the powerful political and economic forces he had to fight to ensure the protection of these landscapes. Egan also paints a vivid picture of Gifford Pinchot, TR’s right hand man in conservation and the first head of the US Forest Service. Pinchot was an interesting dude to say the least—he would hold conversations with the ghost of his deceased wife, began each day by pouring buckets of ice-cold water on this head, and would regularly square off in boxing and wrestling matches against TR.

The topics and people examined in this book are more important now more than ever—if you want to be an effective advocate for public lands, it’s mandatory to understand this history.  I loved this book, and I think about it regularly as I visit the far-flung corners of the American West. But don’t take my word for it, check out this glowing Los Angeles Times book review for a solid synopsis.

This book club selection is being offered in conjunction with the Diablo Trust’s monthly book club.  Diablo Trust is a leader in cutting-edge conservation in the southwestern US, so I highly encourage you to check out their website and consider supporting their work. At the least, read along with their book club— they have some wonderful monthly selections!

If you’d like to participate:

• Grab a copy of The Big Burn—purchase it from Amazon or your local bookseller, or check it out from your local library. Start reading.
• Head over to our Goodreads Group. Create an account, then join in the conversation in the online discussion forum. As you read, give your feedback on the book, pose questions to the group, and share your first-hand experience reading Stegner and Abbey. The only way this works is with lot of participation from lots of people, so the more the better.

Mountain & Prairie Book Club – Goodreads Group

Not interested in TR, Pinchot, or The Big Burn? Then get started on the July-August Book Club selection: Blood and Thunder by Hampton Sides.  More details will be announced in early July.