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Fruitful labor : the ecology, economy, and practice of a family farm / Mike Madison.

by Madison, Mike, 1947-

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Chelsea Green Publishing, 2018.

Farm life -- California -- Sacramento Valley.

Family farms -- California -- Sacramento Valley.

Organic farmers -- California -- Sacramento Valley.

9781603587945 (pbk.)

164 pages ; 22 cm

Includes bibliographical references.

The premise -- The setting -- Crops -- Animals on the farm -- Care of the soil -- Water -- Farm infrastructure -- Tools and machines -- Energy -- Productivity -- Economics -- The social context -- The farmers -- Putting the pieces together.

As the average age of America's farmers continues to rise, we face serious questions about what farming will look like in the near future, and who will be growing our food. Many younger people are interested in going into agriculture, especially organic farming, but cannot find affordable land, or lack the conceptual framework and practical information they need to succeed in a job that can be both difficult and deeply fulfilling. Mike Madison meticulously describes the ecology of his own small family farm in the Sacramento Valley of California. He covers issues of crop ecology such as soil fertility, irrigation needs, and species interactions, as well as the broader agroecological issues of the social, economic, regulatory, and technological environments in which the farm operates. Includes an extensive analysis of sustainability on every level. This book covers both the ecology and the economy of a truly sustainable agriculture. Although Madison's farm is unique, the broad lessons he has gleaned from his more than three decades as an organic farmer will resonate strongly with the new generation of farmers who work the land, wherever they might live. Mike Madison lives with his wife, Dianne, in Winters, California, where they operate a diverse organic farm, growing olives, apricots, citrus, melons, and a variety of cut flowers. He is also the author of Blithe Tomato and Walking the Flatlands.

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