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Fruitful Labor: The Ecology, Economy, and Practice of a Family Farm
"Instead of taking us through his work, season by season, crop by crop--the narrative approach--Madison explores his farm and its methods analytically, from many overlapping angles. The result is profoundly interesting." -- The New York Review of Books
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.
In Fruitful Labor, 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. The final section includes an extensive analysis of sustainability on every level.
Pithy, readable, and highly relevant, 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.
*This book is part of Chelsea Green Publishing's NEW FARMER LIBRARY series, where we collect innovative ideas, hard-earned wisdom, and practical advice from pioneers of the ecological farming movement--for the next generation. The series is a collection of proven techniques and philosophies from experienced voices committed to deep organic, small-scale, regenerative farming. Each book in the series offers the new farmer essential tips, inspiration, and first-hand knowledge of what it takes to grow food close to the land.
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.
In Fruitful Labor, 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. The final section includes an extensive analysis of sustainability on every level.
Pithy, readable, and highly relevant, 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.
*This book is part of Chelsea Green Publishing's NEW FARMER LIBRARY series, where we collect innovative ideas, hard-earned wisdom, and practical advice from pioneers of the ecological farming movement--for the next generation. The series is a collection of proven techniques and philosophies from experienced voices committed to deep organic, small-scale, regenerative farming. Each book in the series offers the new farmer essential tips, inspiration, and first-hand knowledge of what it takes to grow food close to the land.
178 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 9, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
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December 31, 2022very very interesting !! offers cool insight into the application of sustainability practices in real life, challenges of farming + lots of knowledge
April 26, 2022
Farm porn for the modern indentured servant
May 15, 2023
A sweet little book about one successful homestead farm run by a couple. It had many good insights particularly for farming in the Sacramento Valley. While he seemed tangentely aware oil is finite, saying we wouldn't have it in a 100 years, his ideas about the future seemed to imply it would be around forever.
Sad to hear how overregulated things are in California, but guess it wasn't much of a surprise either.
Sad to hear how overregulated things are in California, but guess it wasn't much of a surprise either.
July 9, 2019
Realty interesting. Meticulously written to include details on every aspect of the value of small farms. Also demonstrates the philosophical side of community building in an interdependent economy. I’m not a small farmer (or even a very productive backyard Gardener!) but I learned a lot from this book about our political system and the lost art of a focused life.
January 18, 2018
*I would like to thank the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
I’m not certain if I can convey in words how excited I was to read Fruitful Labor. My dream is to one day run a small alpaca ranch, either during retirement or as a side hobby, and I love reading little informative books on how to successfully run farms and ranches. I dove straight into this book, and ended feeling refreshed and inspired.
Fruitful Labor is the account of Mike Madison and his operation. He runs a relatively small farm sitting on roughly 20 acres in the Sacramento Valley of California where he produces various fruits and flowers, but specializes in olives. I really appreciated that he was upfront about the purpose of this book. If you are expecting advice on how to start or run a farm, this probably isn’t the book for you. Instead, he focuses on protocols that he has tried, both the ones that worked and those that didn’t. Topics vary from soil maintenance to tools on the farm to governmental certifications.
The one thing that Madison incorporated into this primer that all others I have read to this point have lacked is ecology. While not touched on explicitly in several sections, it remained a constant guide for his actions. I am probably quite biased on this, being a biologist myself. Normally, in order to maximize profits, agricultural industries tend to assume that what is best for the crops is to eliminate all other organisms and increase yield by whatever means. However, taking the ecology into account (thinking about the beneficial insects and “weeds” that can give back to the soil, and so on) a farm can reach a more self-sufficient and less destructive equilibrium with the environment while maintaining an income for the local farmer.
Even though this book was not designed to provide a course of action for running a business, I nevertheless found myself taking notes on numerous occasions. There were so many “aha!” moments and little details that I know will make a difference in the future. Reading methods and expert opinions from someone I could immediately trust (all he needed to do was say he worked as a researcher in the tropics), I was instantly transported to my own little patch of heaven, my one-day farm, and I was instilled with an excitement that I really needed right now with the short, dark, way too cold days. If you are interested in agricultural management, this book deserves a place in your collection.
I’m not certain if I can convey in words how excited I was to read Fruitful Labor. My dream is to one day run a small alpaca ranch, either during retirement or as a side hobby, and I love reading little informative books on how to successfully run farms and ranches. I dove straight into this book, and ended feeling refreshed and inspired.
Fruitful Labor is the account of Mike Madison and his operation. He runs a relatively small farm sitting on roughly 20 acres in the Sacramento Valley of California where he produces various fruits and flowers, but specializes in olives. I really appreciated that he was upfront about the purpose of this book. If you are expecting advice on how to start or run a farm, this probably isn’t the book for you. Instead, he focuses on protocols that he has tried, both the ones that worked and those that didn’t. Topics vary from soil maintenance to tools on the farm to governmental certifications.
The one thing that Madison incorporated into this primer that all others I have read to this point have lacked is ecology. While not touched on explicitly in several sections, it remained a constant guide for his actions. I am probably quite biased on this, being a biologist myself. Normally, in order to maximize profits, agricultural industries tend to assume that what is best for the crops is to eliminate all other organisms and increase yield by whatever means. However, taking the ecology into account (thinking about the beneficial insects and “weeds” that can give back to the soil, and so on) a farm can reach a more self-sufficient and less destructive equilibrium with the environment while maintaining an income for the local farmer.
Even though this book was not designed to provide a course of action for running a business, I nevertheless found myself taking notes on numerous occasions. There were so many “aha!” moments and little details that I know will make a difference in the future. Reading methods and expert opinions from someone I could immediately trust (all he needed to do was say he worked as a researcher in the tropics), I was instantly transported to my own little patch of heaven, my one-day farm, and I was instilled with an excitement that I really needed right now with the short, dark, way too cold days. If you are interested in agricultural management, this book deserves a place in your collection.
July 8, 2018
I can’t remember if I heard an interview with the author on NPR, or if it came up as a suggestion after reading a book on family farming last year by Ted Genoways(which was definitely an NPR referral).
While the Genoways book had a save the family farm type of feel, a la Farm Aid, (a truly noble cause by the way), this book was almost a textbook for small scale farming. However it is written in a very easy to follow memoir-like prose that makes it a page turner. (Not that actuarial tables on farm production isn’t a thrilling read to the non-agronomist.
Anyone interested in the agricultural business, on the small scale, should read this book.
While the Genoways book had a save the family farm type of feel, a la Farm Aid, (a truly noble cause by the way), this book was almost a textbook for small scale farming. However it is written in a very easy to follow memoir-like prose that makes it a page turner. (Not that actuarial tables on farm production isn’t a thrilling read to the non-agronomist.
Anyone interested in the agricultural business, on the small scale, should read this book.
October 28, 2018
This is a detailed, but concise, look into the operation of a small-scale family farm of the type that feeds into a farmer's market. The author, Mike Madison, is a farmer's farmer, but he is sensitive to the sorts of questions that non-farmers would want to have answered. And, while he has been close to his work for thirty years, he is able to train a critical lens on it as well: in what sense is his farm really sustainable? Are there better choices he could have made? Could a young farmer today repeat his success?
The answer to the last question is no. Madison operates his farm near Davis, California, where property values are such that a new farmer could never afford to buy land today. He opens his tax returns up for analysis, and we see that, while his farm would be worth $1.5 million if he sold it, his and his wife's annual income after expenses is only $28,000.
But, while his particular situation is high unrepresentative, the kinds of issues he raises in discussing his farm—sustainability, energy budget, hand vs. mechanical labor, water, etc.—are the issues one would need to consider when thinking about any agricultural operation. Plus, it is always a joy to hear someone speak passionately about their life's work.
The answer to the last question is no. Madison operates his farm near Davis, California, where property values are such that a new farmer could never afford to buy land today. He opens his tax returns up for analysis, and we see that, while his farm would be worth $1.5 million if he sold it, his and his wife's annual income after expenses is only $28,000.
But, while his particular situation is high unrepresentative, the kinds of issues he raises in discussing his farm—sustainability, energy budget, hand vs. mechanical labor, water, etc.—are the issues one would need to consider when thinking about any agricultural operation. Plus, it is always a joy to hear someone speak passionately about their life's work.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews