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The Sheer Ecstasy of Being a Lunatic Farmer - Joel Salatin New softcover book 2010

Joel F. Salatin (born 1957) is an American farmer, lecturer, and author. He raises livestock using holistic methods of animal husbandry, free of potentially harmful chemicals, on his Polyface Farm in Swoope, Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley. Meat from the farm is sold by direct-marketing to consumers and restaurants.

After graduating from college, Salatin married his childhood sweetheart in 1980 and became a feature writer at the Staunton, Virginia newspaper. He then decided to try farming full-time. His grandfather had been an avid gardener, beekeeper and a follower of J. I. Rodale, the founder of regenerative organic gardening. His parents had bought the land that became Polyface after losing a farm in Venezuela to political turmoil. They had raised cattle using organic methods, but could not make a living at farming alone.His father worked as an accountant and his mother taught high school physical education.

Salatin describes himself as a "Christian-libertarian-environmentalist-capitalist farmer". He produces high-quality "beyond organic" meats, which are raised using environmentally responsible, ecologically beneficial, sustainable methods. His philosophy of farming emphasizes healthy grass on which animals can thrive in a symbiotic cycle of chemical-free feeding. Cows are moved from one pasture to another rather than being centrally corn fed. Then chickens in portable coops are moved in behind them, where they dig through the cow dung to eat protein-rich fly larvae while further fertilizing the field with their droppings.

Joel works his land with his mother, wife, children and grandchildren, plus employees, subcontractors, apprentices and interns. . The farm services more than 4000 families, ten retail outlets and fifty restaurants through on-farm sales and metropolitan buying clubs. Joel is the author of many books including Family Friendly Farming, You Can Farm, Holy Cows & Hog Heaven and Everything I Want to Do is Illegal. He spends a hundred days a year lecturing at colleges and to environmental groups. He has visited Australia several times. Folks, This Ain't Normal is his latest book.

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