{"product_id":"letter-to-a-young-farmer-isbn-9781603588065","title":"Letter to a Young Farmer","description":"\u003cb\u003e“In the midst of our epidemic fear of the future and its so-far predicted emergencies and catastrophes, here is Gene patiently, quietly, with the right touch of merriment, talking about the small, really possible ways of solving our one great problem: how to live on the Earth without destroying it.”—Wendell Berry, from the foreword\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor more than four decades, the self-described “contrary farmer” and writer Gene Logsdon has commented on the state of American agriculture. In \u003ci\u003eLetter to a Young Farmer,\u003c\/i\u003e his final book of essays, Logsdon addresses the next generation—young people who are moving back to the land to enjoy a better way of life as small-scale “garden farmers.” It’s a lifestyle that isn’t defined by accumulating wealth or by the “get big or get out” agribusiness mindset. Instead, it’s one that recognizes the beauty of nature, cherishes the land, respects our fellow creatures, and values rural traditions. It’s one that also looks forward and embraces “right technologies,” including new and innovative ways of working smarter, not harder, and avoiding premature burnout.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCompleted only a few weeks before the author’s death, \u003ci\u003eLetter to a Young Farmer\u003c\/i\u003e is a remarkable testament to the life and wisdom of one of the greatest rural philosophers and writers of our time. Gene’s earthy wit and sometimes irreverent humor combines with his valuable perspectives on many wide-ranging subjects—everything from how to show a ram who’s boss to enjoying the almost churchlike calmness of a well-built livestock barn.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReading this book is like sitting down on the porch with a neighbor who has learned the ways of farming through years of long observation and practice. Someone, in short, who has “seen it all” and has much to say, and much to teach us, if we only take the time to listen and learn. And Gene Logsdon was the best kind of teacher: equal parts storyteller, idealist, and rabble-rouser. His vision of a nation filled with garden farmers, based in cities, towns, and countrysides, will resonate with many people, both young and old, who long to create a more sustainable, meaningful life for themselves and a better world for all of us.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e“Sagacious and sly, practical and poetic, Logsdon’s voice may have been contrarian but it was never condescending.”—\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“An elegant, modern georgic in prose by ‘contrary farmer’ Logsdon (\u003ci\u003eGene Everlasting\u003c\/i\u003e, 2013, etc.). Of a piece with the works of Wendell Berry, Wes Jackson, and other modern back-to-the-landers. . . From raising cattle to organizing markets, there’s much value here for every aspiring farmer, whose work requires brains along with brawn.”—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"This engaging, conversational book dispenses life advice for farmers and others who seek to live close to the earth. \u003ci\u003e. . \u003c\/i\u003e It seems likely to lure many a gardening neophyte to the farm life, though it takes care to stress the difficulty of this path too. Above all, it preaches consistency, locality, and the long view, occasionally contrasting this philosophy with the frantic pace of mainstream modern life. . . With its unique point of view, \u003ci\u003eLetter to a Young Farmer \u003c\/i\u003eis a must-read piece of environmental, agricultural, and social philosophy.”—\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eForeword Reviews\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Along with other hard-earned advice about hauling livestock, pasturing chickens, and controlling weeds, Logsdon’s lifetime of farming wisdom is firmly lodged in common sense. Sagacious and sly, practical and poetic, Logsdon’s voice may have been contrarian but it was never condescending.”—\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eBooklist\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“In the midst of our epidemic fear of the future and its so-far predicted emergencies and catastrophes, here is Gene patiently, quietly, with the right touch of merriment, talking about the small, really possible ways of solving our one great problem: how to live on the Earth without destroying it.”\u003cb\u003e—Wendell Berry, from the foreword\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“This work serves as a guiding light and lodestar for farmers facing the modern challenges of any farming operation, large or small.”—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eOver the course of his long life and career as a writer, farmer, and journalist, \u003cb\u003eGene Logsdon\u003c\/b\u003e published more than two dozen books, both practical and philosophical, on all aspects of rural life and affairs. His nonfiction works include \u003ci\u003eGene Everlasting, A Sanctuary of Trees, \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eLiving at Nature’s Pace. \u003c\/i\u003eHe wrote a popular blog, \u003ci\u003eThe Contrary Farmer,\u003c\/i\u003e as well as an award-winning column for the Carey, Ohio, \u003ci\u003eProgressor Times\u003c\/i\u003e. Gene was also a contributor to \u003ci\u003eFarming Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Draft Horse Journal. \u003c\/i\u003eHe lived and farmed in Upper Sandusky, Ohio, where he died in 2016, a few weeks after finishing his final book, \u003ci\u003eLetter to a Young Farmer\u003c\/i\u003e.","brand":"Chelsea Green","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48233330999525,"sku":"NP9781603588065","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781603588065.jpg?v=1767731367","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/letter-to-a-young-farmer-isbn-9781603588065","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}