* Are farmers considered to be romantic?* How can you find the right woman to be your perfect farm wife? * What will it take for your mother and your wife to get on?* Is it ever a good idea to live with your parents?* How can you get away for a break?Farmer/farmer's wife and author Lorna Sixsmith looks at what it takes to become an Ideal Farm Husband. You'll find out how little effort it takes to be romantic, how to propose with pizzazz, the best ways to survive stresses like the Pre Silage Tension and the Pre Scanning Shakes, and how to overcome your disappointment at finding your girlfriend is not, after all, telepathic. You'll discover why water, social media, sales representatives, your dog and sharing housework are so important for your wellbeing.With "his and her" quizzes to test your progress (and yes, there are wrong answers), this is a book you can read together to ensure you become a modern, IDEAL farm husband. This is a perfect read for all farm husbands and boyfriends (and wives and girlfriends), and country lovers everywhere.

"Eloquent and detailed...It's hard to have hope, but the organized observations and plans of Hoffman and people like her give me some. Read her book -- and listen." -- Jane Smiley, The Washington Post In her late 40s, Beth Hoffman decided to upend her comfortable life as a professor and journalist to move to her husband's family ranch in Iowa--all for the dream of becoming a farmer. There was just one problem: money. Half of America's two million farms made less than $300 in 2019, and many struggle just to stay afloat. Bet the Farm chronicles this struggle through Beth's eyes. She must contend with her father-in-law, who is reluctant to hand over control of the land. Growing oats is good for the environment but ends up being very bad for the wallet. And finding somewhere, in the midst of COVID-19, to slaughter grass finished beef is a nightmare. If Beth can't make it, how can farmers who confront racism, lack access to land, or don't have other jobs to fall back on hack it? Bet the Farm is a first-hand account of the perils of farming today and a personal exploration of more just and sustainable ways of producing food.

From the celebrated author of the beloved bestseller The Dirty Life, a “beguiling memoir about the simple life” (Elle), Kristin Kimball describes the delicious highs and sometimes excruciating lows of life on Essex Farm—a 500-acre farm that produces a full diet for a community of 250 people. The Dirty Life chronicled Kimball’s move from New York City to 500 acres near Lake Champlain where she started a new farm with her partner, Mark. In Good Husbandry, she reveals what happened over the next five years at Essex Farm. Farming has many ups and downs, and the middle years were hard for the Kimballs. Mark got injured, the weather turned against them, and the farm faced financial pressures. Meanwhile, they had two small children to care for. How does one traverse the terrain of a maturing marriage and the transition from being a couple to being a family? How will the farm survive? What does a family need in order to be happy? Kristin had chosen Mark and farm life after having a good look around the world, with a fair understanding of what her choices meant. She knew she had traded the possibility of a steady paycheck, of wide open weekends and spontaneous vacations, for a life and work that was challenging but beautiful and fulfilling. So with grit and grace and a good sense of humor, she chose to dig in deeper. Featuring some of the same local characters and cherished animals first introduced in The Dirty Life, (Jet the farm dog, Delia the dairy cow, and those hardworking draft horses), plus a colorful cast of aspiring first-generation farmers who work at Essex Farm to acquire the skills they need to start sustainable farms of their own, Good Husbandry is about animals and plants, farmers and food, friends and neighbors, love and marriage, births and deaths, growth and abundance.

Describes the challenges and rewards faced by modern farms in the Midwest, and looks at the seasonal milestones of rural life

After interviewing a young farmer, writer Kristen Kimball gave up her urban lifestyle to begin a farm with her interviewee near Lake Champlain in northern New York.

Do you want to make your farm more dynamic, profitable, and-- above all-- sustainable? Thistlethwaite introduces readers to some of the country's most innovative farmers, in order to help you build a triple-bottom-line farming business focused on economic viability, social justice, and ecological soundness.

Is a farmer a good catch? Would you like to marry a farmer? Wondering where to find a nice farmer? Does the prospect of marrying a farmer scare the life out of you? This tongue-in-cheek funny yet realistic look at what life is like married to a farmer will make you groan in empathy as well as laugh out loud. "Would You Marry A Farmer?" is a lucid discussion of farm life in the 21st century, and a perfect book for both visitors to Ireland who wish to better understand Irish life, urban dwellers seeking to learn more about their farmer forefathers, and anyone curious about the social history of agricultural life in Ireland.