Joel Salatin

Joel Salatin is a fulltime farmer in Virginia 's Shenandoah Valley. A third generation alternative farmer, he returned to the farm fulltime in 1982 and continued refining and adding to his parents' ideas. The farm services more than 400 customers, farmers' markets, metropolitan buying clubs, and 30 restaurants with salad bar beef, pastured poultry, eggmobile eggs, pigaerator pork, forage-based rabbits, pastured turkey and forestry products through relationship marketing. His mother, Lucille, wife Teresa, daughter Rachel, son Daniel, daughter-in-law Sheri, and infant grandson Travis, work fulltime together on the family farm.

Salatin had worked for decades to develop a model of small scale farming that is humane, healthy, diverse, and profitable. His first two books, Pastured Poultry Profits and Salad Bar Beef, describe his novel techniques for raising chickens and cows; his third book, You Can Farm, explains what it takes in general to establish and operate a small scale farm. And The Polyface Farm DVD is an invaluable companion to these books, showing exactly how Salatin implements the techniques he describes.

(To order Salatin's first three books, choose Joel Salatin on How to Farm. To order his second three books, choose Joel Salatin on the Farming LIfe.)

Salatin's model is centered on family life. On such a farm, everyone participates from their earliest years, and everyone's contribution is valuable. His recent book Family Friendly Farming lays out his thinking on how to approach both farm and family so that a farm can provide not just a decent living but a good life.

Much of Salatin's thinking is driven by the fact that the industrialization of agriculture has not only destroyed the family farm, it has imperiled the food supply itself. Part of what makes Salatin's model viable is that people are increasingly aware that their cheap “food” is flavorless, unsafe, and produced under nightmarish conditions—and many of them are willing to pay more for the quality food grown by his sort of farm. His new book, Holy Cows and Hog Heaven, explains why industrially produced food is bad and why locally grown food is better; it encourages the reader to be slower about patronizing the agribusiness industry and diligent about seeking out sources of local food.

As a free man trying to do something out of step with mainstream thinking, Joel Salatin has had more than his share of difficulties with the modern bureaucratic nanny state. His latest book, Everything I Want to Do is Illegal, is a collection of horror stories (humorously told) about ways in which the authorities have tried to interfere with his efforts to get healthy food to people who want it. When it comes to regulating eating or any other social activity, if you think the state has your best interests at heart this book may help you see things differently.

Though Joel Salatin's focus is on farming techniques, we recommend his books because of their emphasis on food and family. Regardless of whether you ever grow your own food, Salatin's books are brimming over with practical wisdom that can teach us much about God's creation and how we can live and thrive within it.

We suggest that you consider them in reverse order of writing. Holy Cows and Hog Heaven is not only the most recent but the shortest, least expensive, and most general. It will introduce you to Salatin's writing style and the broad outlines of his thinking, as well as informing you on a topic that is relevant to all; even if you stop here, you will have learned valuable things. Family Friendly Farming explores a vision of family life that even the most committed urbanite needs to understand and consider; even if farming is not in your future, Salatin has much wisdom to offer about creating a viable multi-genererational household. You Can Farm is specifically about farming, but can be read as an example of how to start and run any small-scale home-based enterprise; again, exposing yourselve to Salatin's thinking as he works through various issues is at least as valuable as the practical advice he offers. Finally, if you are intrigued by the possibilities of the model which Salatin has developed at his Polyface Farm, Salad Bar Beef and Pastured Poultry Profits will teach you the nuts and bolts of his operation.