Agricultural Sciences Books - Page 12

A Snowflake in My Hand

Samantha Mooney

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Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Animal Care & Pets -> Cats -> General AAS
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Animal Care & Pets -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Be forewarned -- you will never forget these cats! 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

In law school, in a cinder block dormitory, Samantha Mooney's cats were a surrogate animal family for me, but such a tragic family, since death came sooner for them than for most of our pets. This was one of the very few books I carried home with me and I have never let it go in all the intervening years. If we must acknowledge that we are destined to outlive most of our pets, again and again we need a book to remind us to cherish their lives but not tether them to hopeless life when they are ready to let go. Many animals have shared their lives with me in the years since I graduated. This is the book I turn to when that sad day comes around for each of my animals in turn.

Quite Possibly the Best Book I've Ever Read 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

No exaggeration here, this book is quite possibly the best book I've ever read - and I've read a LOT of books. I probably average 100-150 books per year and this book stands out like a shining beacon of what a book should be.

Without melodrama or saccharine-laced manipulations, the author manages to successfully illustrate the pain, no, the agony, of watching a beloved animal slip away. She shows the behind the scenes anguish and dedication of those who care for and strive to better the lives of our furry children. Nowhere have I seen animal-human relationships portrayed with such tenderness, sincerety and respect without a trace of the maudlin.

Ms. Mooney does not proselytize nor does she moralize, yet somehow she manages to bring forth a sense of the divine and everlasting bond possible with a special animal. She gives the sense also that however difficult, life does go on and that somehow, it must.

One other important note about this book - With her words, her attitude, and her wisdom, Ms. Mooney does a better job than could 12 trained counselors at helping to appease any guilt a companion person may have at any decisions made out of love for an animal.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who has ever loved an animal or even anyone who has simply had a friendship with one. This book speaks to a level rarely seen or addressed in a simple paperback book.

Editorial Review:

A miracle of a book--a joyous celebration of the unspoken but deeply felt bond between animals and people and, in Roger Caras's words, "a celebration of life in the face of death".

Salad Bar Beef

Joel Salatin

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Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Professional Science -> Agricultural Sciences -> Animal Husbandry -> Animal Production

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

An Excellent Book 5 out of 5 stars.
16 of 17 people found this review helpful.

This book starts with the framework for grass finished cattle production, then looks at day to day operation, followed by some more detailed points and problem shooting, before closing with marketing. This is a great guide and an enjoyable read. I liked it better than Pastured Poultry, but both are great books for those interested in the future of the farm buisness.

Ryan

An excellent and green concept 5 out of 5 stars.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.

I recommend Salad Bar Beef to anyone in the country that wants to produce beef worth eating. Salatin is extremely open and honest about everything he does on his farm, and is very passionate about green farming.

This book does not contain simple homesteading information; it is a manual on how to maximize profits, production, and soil fertility, while decreasing disease and stress(both cattle stress and farmer stress). When I said it does not contain "simple homesteading information", I did not mean that this book is complicated. Salad Bar Beef is actually one of the easiest agricultural books to comprehend.

Although easy to comprehend, you can not by any means read this book with a conventional mind. Pretend you do not know anything, and carefully consider Salatin's points.

If you begin reading this book and get the feeling that Salatin is strong in the way he presents his points, that's because he is. Many do not like being convicted, but the truth is, if you're never convicted, you never learn. Salatin makes his views clearly seen in his books, and every one of them are good and practical. Personally, I do not like reading a book in which the author is weak in his presentation of views.

I have never read agricultural books as good as the ones that Salatin has written, and I recommend them to anyone interested in farming naturally. The books are high-priced, but worth double that. Before long I will raise poultry and cattle using Salatin's methods, using Salad Bar Beef as a manual. Too bad I can't give Salad Bar Beef six or seven stars.

Natural Beekeeping: Organic Approaches to Modern Apiculture

Ross Conrad

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The various chemicals used in beekeeping have, for the past decades, held Varroa Destructor, a mite, and other major pests at bay, but chemical-resistance is building and evolution threatens to overtake the best that laboratory chemists have to offer. In fact, there is evidence that chemical treatments are making the problem worse. Natural Beekeeping flips the script on traditional approaches by proposing a program of selective breeding and natural hive management.

Conrad brings together the best organic and natural approaches to keeping honeybees healthy and productive here in one book. Readers will learn about nontoxic methods of controlling mites, eliminating American foulbrood disease (without the use of antibiotics), breeding strategies, and many other tips and techniques for maintaining healthy hives. Conrad's reservoir of knowledge comes from years of experience and a far-flung community of fellow beekeepers who are all interested in ecologically sustainable apiculture. Specific concepts and detailed management techniques are covered in a matter-of-fact, easy to implement way.

Natural Beekeeping describes opportunities for the seasoned professional to modify existing operations to improve the quality of hive products, increase profits, and eliminate the use of chemical treatments. Beginners will need no other book to guide them. Whether you are an experienced apiculturist looking for ideas to develop an Integrated Pest Management approach or someone who wants to sell honey at a premium price, this is the book you've been waiting for.

Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations

David R. Montgomery

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Dirt, soil, call it what you want--it's everywhere we go. It is the root of our existence, supporting our feet, our farms, our cities. This fascinating yet disquieting book finds, however, that we are running out of dirt, and it's no laughing matter. An engaging natural and cultural history of soil that sweeps from ancient civilizations to modern times, Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations explores the compelling idea that we are--and have long been--using up Earth's soil. Once bare of protective vegetation and exposed to wind and rain, cultivated soils erode bit by bit, slowly enough to be ignored in a single lifetime but fast enough over centuries to limit the lifespan of civilizations. A rich mix of history, archaeology and geology, Dirt traces the role of soil use and abuse in the history of Mesopotamia, Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, China, European colonialism, Central America, and the American push westward. We see how soil has shaped us and we have shaped soil--as society after society has risen, prospered, and plowed through a natural endowment of fertile dirt. David R. Montgomery sees in the recent rise of organic and no-till farming the hope for a new agricultural revolution that might help us avoid the fate of previous civilizations.

From Kitchen to Market: Selling Your Gourmet Food Specialty

Stephen F. Hall

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Missing the Obvious 2 out of 5 stars.
9 of 10 people found this review helpful.

My biggest questions are: What are the laws about the sale of food from the kitchen? Is a health inspection of the kitchen necessary? Where would I find this information for the state in which I live?

This book does not cover any of the information that I think is necessary. I enjoy preparing food and giving it away in pretty containers. I was hoping I could sell some of my gorgeous and delicious gifts with little overhead. According to the author, one should plan on laying out a rather large investment for this type of business.

FROM KITCHEN TO MARKET contains many details but omits the basic information required to get started.

Editorial Review:

Whatever delicacy comes from the kitchen, this volume offers step-by-step guidelines for taking it to market. Whether it's a speciality that could be sold locally, nationally, or internationally, Stephen Hall offers a practical approach to turning culinary skills into a profitable business. Using worksheets, examples, and case histories, From Kitchen to Market tells readers how to secure a profitable slice of the ten billion dollar speciality food "pie"--regardless of level of food industry background or experience.

New Glucose Revolution Guide to Living Well with PCOS

Dr. Jennie Brand-Miller

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Disappointing 2 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I was hoping that this book would be very helpful, since it got such great reviews; however, I was disappointed by it. I recently discovered I had PCOS. I was prescribed metformin and told to follow a low GI diet. The book does a great job of explaining how and why a low GI diet should work for women with PCOS, but it does a poor job of explaining the actual diet. It makes it very confusing to follow, and although it gives a table of foods along with their GI, it is very vague about telling you what you should be eating. I followed the diet in the book the best that I could, and gained 5 pounds before the first week was over. Also, the recipes in the book were no help to me... each one of them had an ingredient that was either very exotic (lamb meat was one of them) or something that I had never heard of. They cannot realistically expect people to make these recipes on a regular basis. I recommend PCOS and your Fertility by Collette Harris. This was a much better and more helpful book.

Editorial Review:

PCOS—Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome—is the most common hormonal disorder among women of child-bearing age, affecting approximately 6 to 10 percent of premenopausal women. No two women have the same symptoms, making it a difficult condition to diagnose. In addition, many women don't know they have it until they try to become pregnant. This breakthrough book contains the latest research that reveals how eating a healthy diet in conjunction with a basic exercise plan is a win-win situation for women with PCOS. The book includes a complete, up-to-date table of GI and glycemic load values for more than eight hundred foods and beverages, provides a clear, concise diet and lifestyle plan, and thirty recipes.

The Cosmic Serpent

Jeremy Narby

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Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Professional Science -> Biological Sciences -> Biochemistry

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 64 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A Very Interesting Read 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I sincerely enjoyed reading this book as I could not put it down. This book is roughly 240 pages with eleven chapters. And, it is very easy to read. Narby's "Notes" section at the end of the book is lengthy and informative.

"The Cosmic Serpent" reads more like a novel or a personal journey rather than a scholarly work that one would normally read on the subject. Personally, I was fascinated with the sincere expression of the author's stories and his mix-in with the science of DNA. There were much confusion among the scientific community about connection between the use of hallucinogenic plants and genetic, and yet Narby was able to clear that up, even as briefly, in this book. I also find it interesting about Narby's discovery of the connection between the symbolism of snakes and that of DNA (double helix), and he backed this up with historical evidence from Americas as well from other cultures.

I found this book to be quite informative and most interesting to read. Most certainly a new look on DNA. I also enjoyed his other book, such as Intelligence in Nature.

Editorial Review:

A personal adventure, a fascinating study of anthropology and ethnopharmacology, and, most important, a revolutionary look at how intelligence and consciousness come into being.

This adventure in science and imagination, which the Medical Tribune said might herald "a Copernican revolution for the life sciences," leads the reader through unexplored jungles and uncharted aspects of mind to the heart of knowledge.

In a first-person narrative of scientific discovery that opens new perspectives on biology, anthropology, and the limits of rationalism, The Cosmic Serpent reveals how startlingly different the world around us appears when we open our minds to it.

"The Cosmic Serpent is a spellbinding, scholarly tour de force that may presage a major paradigm shift in the Western view of reality." --Michael Harner, Ph.D., president, Foundation for Shamanic Studies, and author of The Way of the Shaman

Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World: An Identification Guide

Paul Stamets

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Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Professional Science -> Agricultural Sciences -> Bacteriology

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Why this book is vital to humanity as a whole 5 out of 5 stars.
21 of 22 people found this review helpful.

So many people are utterly consumed with their work life that they are avidly avoiding a spiritual experience, which is at the heart of what is ideal. This book may help serve as a gentlemenly guide to embarking on an organized hunt for fungi and an organized understanding of how to incorporate them into personal experience. Although some may argue with me, I would say this is actually high level reading.
The book provides the following:
The effects of psilocybin mushrooms
How to identify them while hunting outdoors
Tips on ingesting them and experiencing them
Pictures and diagrams to help identify them
Individual species descriptions
Poisonous look alikes
Includes a forward by renowned physician Dr. Andrew Weil

There is a wealth of info in this book and it is the best book on this subject.

Editorial Review:

The only identification guide exclusively devoted to psilocybin-containing mushrooms worldwide, with detailed descriptions and color photographs for over 100 species.

Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds

Carol Ekarius

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Farmers and fanciers keep an astonishing variety of poultry breeds in North America. These birds provide meat and eggs to nourish us and feathers to keep us warm. Their quirky personalities and charming good looks make them barnyard favorites. They inspire passionate devotion from show breeders and provide a living for farmers.

Presented here, breed by breed, are more than 120 barnyard fowl — from chickens and turkeys to emus and pheasants. For each animal, readers will find stunning color photography, a brief history, and a detailed description. The identifying characteristics included for each breed are: class (standard and bantam); size (for cocks and hens); appearance of comb, wattles, and earlobes; color (everything from black-breasted red to silver laced); place of origin; conservation status; and special qualities (including longevity, size and quantity of eggs, quality of meat, and other relevant uses). Author Carol Ekarius provides enough information to satisfy both the dedicated browser and the serious farmer weighing the pros and cons of multiple breeds.

In 2005, Storey's Illustrated Guide to 96 Horse Breeds of North America celebrated horses in a coffee-table reference that captivated enthusiasts of all ages. Now farmers, breeders, backyard chicken keepers, and unabashed poultry fanatics will have a definitive guide of their own. If it's poultry — fair or fowl — it's in this book.

Micro Eco-Farming: Prospering from Backyard to Small Acreage in Partnership with the Earth

Barbara Berst Adams

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Educational and Inspiring 5 out of 5 stars.
39 of 39 people found this review helpful.

If you've ever dreamed of having a small, productive farm but didn't know where to begin or how to creatively make money and have fun at the same time, this book is The Source for you. Barbara Berst Adams' "Micro Eco-Farming" is loaded with great ideas, sensible how-to information and strategies for starting, maintaining and expanding an environmentally friendly mini farm. The breadth of her knowledge is impressive. She obviously understands every aspect of small-scale farming from raising livestock and poultry to growing specialty herbs, flowers and vegetables. This is a practical handbook and a solid reference you will always want to keep on hand. It has earned a permanent place in my library.

Editorial Review:

Microfarms—or small acreage farms—are gaining popularity across the country for their astoundingly high yields and great tasting produce, as well as their profitability. This handbook reveals the secrets of successful micro eco-farming and explains what eco-farmers need to know to start their own small agribusiness. Questions such as What can be grown? How do farmers reach their markets? and What sustainable production methods can be used? are answered in detail and supported be hundreds of real-life examples. A variety of unusual uses for crops are also provided, including producing organic spa products, building an urban greenhouse, creating a heritage rose farm, or cultivating a connoisseur apple orchard. Ecologists, amateur gardeners, farmers, and those interested in sustainable living will enjoy this in-depth look at the spiritually and financially rewarding aspects of this new field.