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Conventional agriculture destroys our soils, pollutes our water and is a major contributor to climate change. What if our agricultural practices could stabilize, or even reverse these trends?

The Biochar Solution explores the dual function of biochar as a carbon-negative energy source and a potent soil-builder. Created by burning biomass in the absence of oxygen, this material has the unique ability to hold carbon back from the atmosphere while simultaneously enhancing soil fertility. Author Albert Bates traces the evolution of this extraordinary substance from the ancient black soils of the Amazon to its reappearance as a modern carbon sequestration strategy.

Combining practical techniques for the production and use of biochar with an overview of the development and future of carbon farming, The Biochar Solution describes how a new agricultural revolution can reduce net greenhouse gas emissions to below zero while increasing world food reserves and creating energy from biomass wastes. Biochar and carbon farming can reduce fossil fuels inputs into our food system; bring new life to desert landscapes; filter and purify drinking water; and help build carbon-negative homes, communities and nations.

Biochar is not without dangers if unregulated, and it is not a panacea, but if it fulfills its promise of taking us back from the brink of irreversible climate change, it may well be the most important discovery in human history.

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Shunned by industrial farmers, vilified by corporate agri-business, and stalked by food police as being a lunatic, farmer-entrepreneur Joel Salatin enjoys the sheer ecstasy of being surrounded by happy, frolicking animals, dancing earthworms, and appreciative customers.

His family's farm nestled in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley has achieved iconic status worldwide by featuring prominently in the Oscar-nominated documentary, Food. Inc., and the documentary, Fresh," as well as the runaway New York Times best-seller The Omnivore's Dilemma. From his own pen, Salatin explains both the rationale for the satisfaction from a solar-driven, pastured-based, locally-marketed, symbiotic, synergistic, relationally-oriented farm.

This book describes, with stories and evangelistic fervor, the breadth and depth of the paradigm differences between healing and exploitive food systems. A landscape and food policy epiphany awaits every reader.

Joel Salatin and his family own and operate Polyface Farm, arguably the nation's most famous farm since it was profiled in Michael Pollan's New York Times best-seller, The Omnivore's Dilemma and two subsequent documentaries, "Food, Inc.", and "Fresh." An accomplished author and public speaker, Salatin has authored seven books. Recognition for his ecological and local-based farming advocacy includes an honorary doctorate, the Heinz Award, and many leadership awards.

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Growing Roots: The New Generation of Sustainable Farmers, Cooks, and Food Activists is about a new revolution in food that involves young people who are living sustainable lives that revolve around healthy, natural food.

The book introduces us to farmers and beekeepers, fishermen and chefs, food activists and cheesemongers, and many, many more. We meet these fascinating young people from all across the nation through first-person profiles, along with brilliant photographs and delicious, simple recipes. They talk about raising grass-fed beef, lamb, and pork; growing vegetables and grains; keeping bees and making cheese; and their restaurants and their markets. Included are filmmakers, writers, and artists who change the way we look at what we eat and where our food comes from. In their profiles we learn how these young people got to where they are today, their backgrounds, their education, and their passionate relationship to food.

The author’s through-line gives us a glimpse of her own journey with food, through her own childhood, raising children, and becoming an empty-nester. Growing Roots is about relationships and how food figures in those relationships. It is for everyone who is interested in learning about this new iteration of the food movement and the folks involved, whether you’d like to figure out how to do it for yourself, or just love reading about it. The photos are beautiful, the narrative lively, and the recipes simple and delicious. A must-read for all ages and a wonderful addition to the food-lover’s bookshelf.

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Veterinary Guide for Animal Owners is a guide for everyone who cares for or raises animals at home or on a farm — from the 4-H student to the home breeder to parents of a new puppy. The Veterinary Guide for Animal Owners includes detailed chapters on cats, dogs, rabbits, chickens, horses, cattle, sheep, goats and pigs, as well as hundreds of strategies for preventing and curing common problems. From nail care for cats and dogs to treating saddle sore on horses, from administering medication to caring for baby pigs, this is first-rate advice from a veterinarian that anyone can understand.

About the authors
C.E. Spaulding, D.V.M, studied veterinary medicine at Michigan State University and practiced veterinary medicine for more than thirty years. In addition, he owned his own farm animals, including horses, goats, poultry, pigs and cattle.

Jackie Clay is a trained veterinary field technician with more than 20 years of experience. She is also a prolific writer, having authored four books and hundreds of magazine articles. She is a regular writer for Backwoods Home Magazine, writing on animal care, gardening, canning and rural, self-reliant living. She lives on a remote homestead in northern Minnesota with her family and lots of animals.

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How to navigate by the stars, attract butterflies to a garden, build the perfect bonfire, and bake one's own bread — an indispensable guide to everything people knew and loved before we went inside and turned on the TV.

In a world of traffic congestion, supermarket shopping, and 24-hour internet access, it is easy to feel disconnected from the beauty and rhythms of the natural world. This is the book for anyone who has ever gazed in awe at stars in the night's sky, tried to catch a perfect snowflake, or longed for the comfort of a roaring log fire. Readers will learn how to predict the weather just by looking at the sky, how to forage for food, and how to make cider. From differentiating types of owls to gardening by the phases of the moon, and from curing a cold to brewing ale, this lovely guide is packed with instructions and lists, ancient customs, and old wives tales, making it an indispensable guide to countryside lore.

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Essential steps to a healthy, sustainable agriculture. Sustainable agriculture: what it means, why it is needed, and how it can transform the planet.

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Imagine savoring fresh-picked strawberries on a weekend morning, plucking plump figs from your mini-orchard to quarter and serve at a farm-to-table meal with friends, or harvesting and sauteing the edible stalks of garlic bulbs. If the size of your space is bringing you back to reality, here's the best part: You don't need a big backyard to grow your own food. In fact, you don't need a yard at all.

Andrea Bellamy, founder of the acclaimed blog Heavy Petal, gives you the dirt on growing gorgeous organic food with little square footage. Simple, straightforward advice for designing your space and growing your harvest will help you transform just a snippet of space into a stylish and edible oasis. Bellamy goes beyond the surface and shows you how to create and maintain healthy soil, decide what and when to plant, sow seeds and harvest, and most importantly, enjoy the process. So go ahead, picture that tiny nook, corner, strip, porch, alley, balcony or postage-stamp-sized yard overflowing with fingerling potatoes, fragrant herbs, sugar snap peas, French breakfast radishes and scarlet runner beans.

Armed with luscious photography, encouraging tips and sophisticated designs, you're sure to be inspired to join the grow-your-own revolution.

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Heard the buzz? Beekeeping is back! Neighborhoods across the country have embraced it as a source of sustainable food and environmental goodness. For those who want to join the “hive” of keepers, author Ashley English has the lowdown on the key issues, from space and time considerations to local ordinances to the basics of acquiring, housing, maintaining and caring for bees year-round. Plus, get 10 tested honey-centric recipes!

Fascinating to observe, bees serve a crucial role in the pollination of more than a third of the foods we enjoy, and produce honey, beeswax and more. English examines what you need to know before purchasing your first package of bees. She explores hive hierarch; hive housing, location and feeding requirements; obtaining and installing honeybees; and how to extract honey. You'll also find mouthwatering honey-based recipes, profiles of beekeepers, and hive health and wellness information.

About the author
Author Ashley English has earned degrees in both holistic nutrition and sociology. She is a member of Slow Food USA and works with nonprofit organizations committed to social and agricultural issues. English and her husband currently reside in Candler, N.C.

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Imagine a weekend breakfast featuring eggs, bacon and honey from your own chickens, pigs and bees, or a holiday meal with your own heritage-breed turkey as the main attraction. With The Backyard Homestead: Guide to Raising Farm Animals, even urban and suburban residents can successfully raise chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, rabbits, goats, sheep, cows, pigs and honeybees. It’s easier than you think, and it can be done on small plots of land. This essential guide covers everything from selecting the right breeds to producing delicious fresh milk, cheese, honey, eggs and meat. Whether you want to be more self-sufficient, save money, or just enjoy safer, healthier, more delicious animal products, you’ll find all the information you need in The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals.

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Are you a beginning gardener wondering when to plant or how often to weed? Or an experienced grower who wants to increase flavor and yields? Take the guesswork out of gardening with the Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook. Authors Ron and Jennifer Kujawski provide detailed weekly to-do lists — precisely customized to your own growing season — that break gardening down into simple and manageable tasks. Whether it’s planting strawberries, pinching off pumpkin blossoms, checking for tomato hornworm, or harvesting carrots, you’ll know exactly what to do — and exactly when and how to do it — for bountiful harvests and a stress-free gardening experience.