Winner of the Stubbendieck Great Plains Distinguished Book Prize 2019 selection for the One Book One Nebraska and All Iowa state reading programs "Genoways gives the reader a kitchen-table view of the vagaries, complexities, and frustrations of modern farming…Insightful and empathetic." —Milwaukee Journal Sentinel The family farm lies at the heart of our national identity, and yet its future is in peril. Rick Hammond grew up on a farm, and for forty years he has raised cattle and crops on his wife’s fifth-generation homestead in Nebraska, in hopes of passing it on to their four children. But as the handoff nears, their family farm—and their entire way of life—are under siege on many fronts, from shifting trade policies, to encroaching pipelines, to climate change. Following the Hammonds from harvest to harvest, Ted Genoways explores the rapidly changing world of small, traditional farming operations. He creates a vivid, nuanced portrait of a radical new landscape and one family’s fight to preserve their legacy and the life they love.

"A much-needed manual for all who attempt to counsel troubled souls battling despair." --Bob Russell, Retired Senior Pastor, Southeast Christian Church Every single day, someone you know is thinking about committing suicide. It isn't just one or two--ten million Americans will consider killing themselves in the upcoming year. Dr. Matthew Sleeth believes Christians--and our churches--should be the first to offer hope. Are we prepared to do so? As a physician and minister, Dr. Sleeth shares his personal and professional experiences with depression and suicide, challenging Christians to become part of the solution. With sound medical principles finding their rightful place beside timeless biblical wisdom, Hope Always offers the practical and spiritual tools that individuals, families, and churches need to help loved ones who are stressed and struggling. In Hope Always, you will find research-based and scientifically grounded information about the suicide epidemic, biblically based information to start a conversation about the spiritual and emotional battles that so many of us face, and a practical toolkit to consult when a loved one is dealing with suicidal ideation. After reading Hope Always, you will have the resources at your fingertips to build communities of hope that help save lives!

J. Matthew Sleeth was living the American dream as a medical chief of staff---until the increasing number of chronic illnesses he was witnessing gave him a new environmental awareness. In this book, Sleeth shares his family's journey to simplicity, stronger relationships, and richer spiritual lives, and relates a prescription for sustainable living.

One of the world’s most influential environmentalists reveals a worldwide grassroots movement of hope and humanity Blessed Unresttells the story of a worldwide movement that is largely unseen by politicians or the media. Hawken, an environmentalist and author, has spent more than a decade researching organizations dedicated to restoring the environment and fostering social justice. From billion-dollar nonprofits to single-person causes, these organizations collectively comprise the largest movement on earth. This is a movement that has no name, leader, or location, but is in every city, town, and culture. It is organizing from the bottom up and is emerging as an extraordinary and creative expression of people’s needs worldwide. Blessed Unrestexplores the diversity of this movement, its brilliant ideas, innovative strategies, and centuries-old history. The culmination of Hawken’s many years of leadership in these fields, it will inspire, surprise, and delight anyone who is worried about the direction the modern world is headed. Blessed Unrestis a description of humanity’s collective genius and the unstoppable movement to re-imagine our relationship to the environment and one another. Like Hawken’s previous books, Blessed Unrestwill become a classic in its field— a touchstone for anyone concerned about our future.

An epic story of the American wheat harvest, the politics of food, and the culture of the Great Plains For over one hundred years, the Mockett family has owned a seven-thousand-acre wheat farm in the panhandle of Nebraska, where Marie Mutsuki Mockett’s father was raised. Mockett, who grew up in bohemian Carmel, California, with her father and her Japanese mother, knew little about farming when she inherited this land. Her father had all but forsworn it. In American Harvest, Mockett accompanies a group of evangelical Christian wheat harvesters through the heartland at the invitation of Eric Wolgemuth, the conservative farmer who has cut her family’s fields for decades. As Mockett follows Wolgemuth’s crew on the trail of ripening wheat from Texas to Idaho, they contemplate what Wolgemuth refers to as “the divide,” inadvertently peeling back layers of the American story to expose its contradictions and unhealed wounds. She joins the crew in the fields, attends church, and struggles to adapt to the rhythms of rural life, all the while continually reminded of her own status as a person who signals “not white,” but who people she encounters can’t quite categorize. American Harvest is an extraordinary evocation of the land and a thoughtful exploration of ingrained beliefs, from evangelical skepticism of evolution to cosmopolitan assumptions about food production and farming. With exquisite lyricism and humanity, this astonishing book attempts to reconcile competing versions of our national story.

Farming While Black is the first comprehensive "how to" guide for aspiring African-heritage growers to reclaim their dignity as agriculturists and for all farmers to understand the distinct, technical contributions of African-heritage people to sustainable agriculture. At Soul Fire Farm, author Leah Penniman co-created the Black and Latino Farmers Immersion (BLFI) program as a container for new farmers to share growing skills in a culturally relevant and supportive environment led by people of color. Farming While Black organizes and expands upon the curriculum of the BLFI to provide readers with a concise guide to all aspects of small-scale farming, from business planning to preserving the harvest. Throughout the chapters Penniman uplifts the wisdom of the African diasporic farmers and activists whose work informs the techniques described--from whole farm planning, soil fertility, seed selection, and agroecology, to using whole foods in culturally appropriate recipes, sharing stories of ancestors, and tools for healing from the trauma associated with slavery and economic exploitation on the land. Woven throughout the book is the story of Soul Fire Farm, a national leader in the food justice movement.--AMAZON.

Living Naturally and Practically in the 21st CenturyAlicia Bay Laurel's iconic Living on the Earth is finally back in print in a 50th anniversary edition, revised and updated with new material. This book hit the homesteading, back-to-earth crowd like a whirlwind in the 1970s and its elemental wisdom and advice hasn't diminished over the decades since. Widely acclaimed in such publications as The Village Voice and The Whole Earth Catalog-which stated "this may be the best book in the catalog"-Living on the Earth gives guidance on such things as: ·Backpacking·Making soap·Canning and drying·Herbal medicine·Gardening·First aid·Weaving and homemade dyes·Musical instruments·Making dress patternsAnd so much more-the variety of topics covered is astounding. Readers will be educated, enlightened and entertained perusing this landmark work.242 pages, original line illustrations throughout