Description

Stories in this issue:

• Case Study: Natural Roots Farm: A look at the economics of Fisher and Maclay’s farm in Conway, Mass. The couple tills 7 acres of bottomaland — 3.5 acres in mixed vegetables and 3.5 acres in cover crops and bare fallow period. They manage a 40-acre woodlot and graze about 22 acres of grass to fee their herd of four Belgians and one Standardbred cross Percheron.
• Horse Powered Tomatoes: Stephen Leslie explains how he grows thousands of pounds of tomatoes on his Vermont farm. He discusses the economics of producing this organic crop, breaking it down into materials and methods and their associated costs.
• The American Kestrel: Hazel Freeman takes a look at North America’s smallest falcon, the American Kestrel, and information on how to attract the bird, whose numbers have been declining in recent years. Includes schematics on how to build a nest box and tips on where to place such boxes.
• Rethinking Manure II: his followup to Hewes’ first article includes input from horse farmers David Fisher and Eric Nordell.
• The Dean of Beans: Karen Kirsch provides a profile of Bill Best, of Berea, Ky., a professor emeritus at Berea College who is nationally recognized for his work in the preservation of regional heirloom seeds and his promotion of sustainable agriculture.
• Vaccines & Injections: Bethany Casey gives  description of the types of equine injections, the risks and benefits of administering them yourself and methods for giving injections.
• Sampling Southern California: Jenifer Morrissey continues the story of Dan and Kate Glenn, who traveled to Southern California in 1902 via horse and wagon. Dan and Kate traveled around the area with the help of their horse Old Jim.
• Livestock Guardian Dogs: Danielle Londrigan describes her experiences using livestock guardian dogs to protect her farm’s animals from predators. Londigran challenges some of the misconceptions regarding guardian dogs.
• Minnesota Horse Expo: For the first time in the 33-year history of the Minnesota Horse Expo, working draft horses and their teamsters presented a demonstration of horse-drawn equipment. Pictures and descriptions of the teams and vehicles.
• Harnessing & Hitching Refined Part 2: A teamster’s roundtable discusses the subtleties of adjusting bits and harness to accommodate teammates of different size.
• Too Much Harness?: Jenifer Morrissey shares Doc Hammill’s thoughts on harness, including the questions: Do you know which pieces of harness are necessary for the work you’re doing, and do you have a clear understanding of which piece you could do without if you absolutely have to?
• Working Oxen Equipment: Excerpts from Ludwig’s “The Pride and Joy of Working Cattle.” This installment looks at using equipment with oxen.