Shawn and Beth Dougherty have been farming together for over thirty
years, the last twenty in eastern Ohio on their home farm, the
Sow’s Ear, where they and their children raise grass, dairy and
beef cows, sheep, pigs, and poultry. They identify intensive grass
management as the point of union between good stewardship and good
food. Their ongoing goal is to rediscover the methods and means by
which a small parcel of land, carefully husbanded with the
application of ruminants, pigs, and poultry, can be made to gain
fertility and resilience while feeding the animals and humans
living on it.
Shawn and Beth Dougherty have been farming together for over thirty
years, the last twenty in eastern Ohio on their home farm, the
Sow’s Ear, where they and their children raise grass, dairy and
beef cows, sheep, pigs, and poultry. They identify intensive grass
management as the point of union between good stewardship and good
food. Their ongoing goal is to rediscover the methods and means by
which a small parcel of land, carefully husbanded with the
application of ruminants, pigs, and poultry, can be made to gain
fertility and resilience while feeding the animals and humans
living on it.
Joel Salatin and his family own and operate Polyface Farm in
Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. The farm produces pastured beef,
pork, chicken, eggs, turkeys, rabbits, lamb and ducks, servicing
roughly 6,000 families and 50 restaurants in the farm’s bioregion.
He has written 14 books to date, is editor of Stockman Grass Farmer
Magazine, and lectures around the world on land healing and local
food systems. Polyface Farm operates a formal apprenticeship
program and conducts many educational workshops and events.
Choice- “Literature about small, independent farms might be divided
into books that focus broadly on sustainable farming and those that
constitute a how-to guide. Here Shawn Dougherty and Beth
Dougherty (both have been farmers for several decades) offer a
whimsical fusion of practical application and agrarian philosophy
to great effect. Unlike most monographs on the subject, this volume
begins with the assertion that plant life, pasture, and forage (in
particular) form the core of an effective small farmstead. From
this foundation, the Dougherty’s discuss practical aspects of
forage, including water, grasses, and fencing, as well as the
dynamics of intensive rotational processes. A good portion of the
book is devoted to leveraging forage using livestock, particularly
ruminants. Their clear favorite is the dairy cow, although they do
discuss the virtues of sheep, goats, and swine—but little on beef.
The latter part of the work discusses the harvesting of meat and
milk and the appropriate use of by-products. The book’s
entertaining approach is tempered by a realistic view of the
mindset required to productively nurture and incorporate the rigors
of an independent farmstead into one’s lifestyle. Summing Up:
Recommended. All readers.”
Booklist- "As mortifying and implausible as creating one’s own
self-sustaining farmstead might sound to most city folk, the
Doughertys, who embarked on their own farmstead 20 years ago, make
the venture entirely feasible—even ennobling in the face of climate
change—on as little as a half-acre of land. In a conversational
style that is both welcoming and reality-based, the authors offer a
big-picture plan—selecting property, sourcing water, building soil,
choosing ruminants (chickens, goats, sheep, pigs, or cattle)—that
is fully supported by a level of detail both practical and
comforting to anyone new to the idea. Some examples: milking
techniques for cows and goats, what grasses or fencing to consider
for which animals, slaughtering techniques, watering tanks, and
using paddocks for livestock. Highly recommended for libraries
where such farmsteads are even remotely possible.”
Library Journal, Starred Review- "Husband and wife Shawn and Beth
Dougherty have written about the 'self-sustaining' grass-based
farming movement on their blog, onecowrevolution.wordpress.com.
Their first book, a well-organized overview of managing a
diversified ‘farmstead,' takes the concept of backyard hobby
farming to the next level. Drawing on their 20 years of experience
on the Sow’s Ear Farm in eastern Ohio, the Doughertys offer
practical know-how on a variety of farming topics, with photos and
philosophical considerations of their methods. Although not
exhaustive on any given issue, there is enough information for most
readers to get started with confidence. They encourage readers to
adopt holistic and creative problem-solving techniques. Oft-ignored
subjects such as seasonal rhythms and interpersonal dynamics—the
'people aspect' of the farm ecosystem—are addressed. Easily
navigable sections let readers skim as needed, but the
conversational style lends a cohesive narrative. With a compelling
foreword by holistic farmer Joel Salatin, this is right at home on
a workbench or bedside table. VERDICT A solid choice for
those embarking on a serious animal-based hobby or enterprise,
aspiring homesteaders, and sustainable farmers who already have
basic knowledge of animal husbandry and agriculture. The authors’
blog provides a nice supplement; for more introductory guides, try
Carleen Madigan’s 'Backyard Homestead' books.”
Modern Farmer- "Shawn and Beth Dougherty divulge how they used
intensive pasture management to transform 24 seemingly uncultivable
Ohio acres into a thriving livestock and vegetable operation
capable of feeding their family of 10. Expect clear-eyed advice on
rotational grazing methods, improving soil fertility, and much
more."
“With grace and grit, Shawn and Beth show you how to cultivate and
care for an often overlooked but integrally important part of our
food chain—grass—as well as the diverse livestock that transform
pasture into the most wholesome foods on earth.”--David Asher,
author of The Art of Natural Cheesemaking
“Shawn and Beth cover a broad range of topics in this readable and
user-friendly book. They manage to touch on most of the essential
information a small-scale farmer needs to graze a cow and make
cheese, feed the waste milk to the pigs and make bacon, and
practice sustainable land use and animal husbandry along the
way.”--Sarah Flack, author of The Art and Science of
Grazing
“Playing off its title, this informative, companionable book could
be called The Interdependent Farmstead: It
notes how a successful operation relies on interactions among
animals, soil, grass, sunlight, and community as well as human
ingenuity and, invariably, humor. The book’s wisdom is that
building on these synergies helps one realize the potential of any
given piece of land.”--Judith D. Schwartz, author of Cows Save
the Planet and Water In Plain Sight
“In The Independent Farmstead, Shawn and Beth Dougherty have
rooted a wealth of practical and useful farming information in the
fertile soil of social and economic reality and timeless ecological
wisdom. Their farm is a grass-based homestead, and their personal
story is compelling, but their insights are important for beginning
or experienced farmers of any type or scale who don’t yet know—or
have forgotten—what real farming is about.”--John Ikerd, professor
emeritus of agricultural economics, University of Missouri
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