Compact Farms: 15 Proven Plans for Market Farms on 5 Acres or Less; Includes Detailed Farm Layouts for Productivity and Efficiency

by Josh Volk, Michael Ableman (Foreword by)

Overview

Small is beautiful, and these 15 real farm plans show that small-scale farmers can have big-time success. Compact Farms is an illustrated guide for anyone dreaming of starting, expanding, or perfecting a profitable farming enterprise on five acres or less. The farm plans explain how to harness an area’s water supply, orientation, and geography in order to maximize efficiency and productivity while minimizing effort. Profiles of well-known farmers such as Eliot Coleman and Jean-Martin Fortier show that farming on a small scale in any region, in both urban and rural settings, can provide enough income to turn the endeavor from hobby to career. These real-life plans and down-and-dirty advice will equip you with everything you need to actually realize your farm dreams.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781612125947
Publisher:	Storey Publishing, LLC
Publication date:	02/07/2017
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	523,491
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.56(d)

About the Author

Josh Volk is the best-selling author of Compact Farms and the proprietor of Slow Hand Farm in Portland, Oregon. He has been working on and managing small farms around the country for the last 20 years, studying the systems that make them efficient. He travels in the United States and abroad, consulting with farmers and researchers, teaching farm apprentices and new farmers, presenting workshops at agricultural conferences, and writing articles for publications, including Growing for Market magazine. 

Table of Contents

Foreword by Michael Ableman
Preface
Part 1: Why Farm Small?
  Compact Values and Strategies
  Sustainability as a Core Goal
Part 2: Farm Profiles
  Slow Hand Farm
  Four Season Farm
  Cook's Garden
  Harvest Moon Flower Farm
  Peregrine Farm
  Liberty Gardens
  Kealaola Farm
  Les Jardins de la Grelinette
  Groundswell Farm
  Mellowfields Urban Farm
  Full Plate Farm
  Flywheel Farm
  Leap Frog Farm
  Cully Neighborhood Farm
  Brooklyn Grange
Part 3: Nuts and Bolts
  Planning and Designing Your Own
  Making It Work Financially
  Epilogue: Small Plans for the Future
Learning More
Index

Editorial Reviews

Volk pushes back against the “get big or get out” narrative, making a strong case for how smaller farms can, and do, contribute to our nation and planet’s health and livelihood.” — The Huffington Post
 
“A very nuts-and-bolts look at successful small farms, which every farmer regardless of skill level and experience will enjoy.” — Hobby Farms 

“With both the business analysis and schematics of these small agricultural operations, this book is truly “human-scaled.” Josh Volk reveals that there is an alternative to the hype of get big or get out. This is a must read for anyone serious about making it work on a small plot of land.” — Richard McCarthy, Slow Food USA executive director

“Here is a clear path for getting started in the most noble of all careers: growing food for your community. This is essential inspiration for anyone thinking of getting into farming or wanting to scale back a larger farm. Small really is beautiful!” — Lynn Byczynski, publisher, Growing for Market

“A trove of inspiration and practical advice for the next wave of young farmers. Even experienced farmers will glean new wisdom from the thoughtful tools and careful techniques in this book.” — Lindsey Lusher Shute, National Young Farmers Coalition executive director and co-founder

“A huge proponent of small-scale agriculture, Oregon farmer Josh Volk outlines 15 case studies — real-life operations on five acres or less — that prove it’s possible to make a living off very little land.” — Modern Farmer

“If you're an aspiring small farmer — or you just want to feel optimistic about the future of farming — Compact Farms is one of those things to celebrate.” — SlowFoodUSA.org

From the Publisher

01/01/2017
Taking his theory and practice from John Jeavons's biointensive How To Grow More Vegetables, the author covers the motivation, personal philosophy, and everyday experiences that led him and 14 other subjects to work the land. Almost all of the geographically diverse representatives were farmhands before being farmers. A few of the stories date from the 1960s and 1980s; over half of the farms were started in the past ten years, much higher than the census of agriculture's 18 percent. While the title says "5 acres," time commitments, personnel, and resources mean most fall into the "or less." Maps of the farms' physical layout and charts of "harvest windows" complement photos that are both informative and personal. A section on tools and infrastructure gives farmers an opportunity to address their particular challenges of planting, harvesting, and delivery with ingeniously devised methods and tools. The final chapter, "Nuts and Bolts," presents the hard facts of what makes a financially successful operation in an increasingly competitive market. Janet Hurst's The Farm to Market Handbook spends little time on farming methods, but uses her farmers' stories as business textbook examples of marketing applications. VERDICT Neither for hobbyist nor homesteader, this title's examples and solid advice are nugget-sized for the farmhand thinking of starting a small-scale, sustainable farm.—Jeanette McVeigh, Univ. of the Sciences, Philadelphia

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