This book brings together extensive scientific learning on what makes a good farm for biodiversity. Based on thirteen years of intensive research, it breaks the discussion into chapters on key environmental and vegetation assets and then discusses how to make these assets better for biodiversity. The work encompasses information on vertebrates and invertebrates on farms and their relationships with significant vegetation and environmental assets: woodland remnants, plantings, paddocks, rocky outcrops and waterways. A chapter is dedicated to each asset and how it can be managed. In the final chapter, the authors discuss the aggregation of these assets at the farm level – bringing all of the information together and also highlighting some landscape-scale perspectives on agricultural management for enhanced biodiversity. What Makes a Good Farm for Wildlife? is written in an engaging style and includes colour photographs and information boxes. It will be an important reference for landholders, hobby farmers, vineyard owners, naturalists interested in birds and other native animals, people from Catchment Management Authorities, natural resource managers and policy makers.

'Wildlife on Farms' outlines the key general features of animal habitats and describes some of the activities that can be undertaken to better conserve wildlife on a farm.

The Farm as Natural Habitat is a vital new contribution to the debate about agriculture and its impacts on the land. Arising from the conviction that the agricultural landscape as a whole could be restored to a healthy diversity, the book challenges the notion that the dominant agricultural landscape -- bereft of its original vegetation and wildlife and despoiled by chemical runoff -- is inevitable if we are to feed ourselves. Contributors bring together insights and practices from the fields of conservation biology, sustainable agriculture, and environmental restoration to link agriculture and biodiversity, farming and nature, in celebrating a unique alternative to conventional agriculture.Rejecting the idea that "ecological sacrifice zones" are a necessary part of feeding a hungry world, the book offers compelling examples of an alternative agriculture that can produce not only healthful food, but fully functioning ecosystems and abundant populations of native species. Contributors include Collin Bode, George Boody, Brian DeVore, Arthur (Tex) Hawkins, Buddy Huffaker, Rhonda Janke, Richard Jefferson, Nick Jordan, Cheryl Miller, Heather Robertson, Carol Shennan, Judith Soule, Beth Waterhouse, and others.The Farm as Natural Habitat is both hopeful and visionary, grounded in real examples, and guided by a commitment to healthy land and thriving communities. It is the first book to offer a viable approach to addressing the challenges of protecting and restoring biodiversity on private agricultural land and is essential reading for anyone concerned with issues of land or biodiversity conservation, farming and agriculture, ecological restoration, or the health of rural communities and landscapes.

Many landowners are interested in the native animals that live on their farms or once occurred there. In particular they want to know why particular species are present (or absent), what they can do to encourage them to visit, and what they might do to keep them there. Wildlife on Farms outlines the key features of animal habitats—large flowering trees, hollow trees, ground cover, understorey vegetation, dams and watercourses—and describes why landholders should conserve these habitats to encourage wildlife on their farms. It shows how wildlife conservation can be integrated with farm management and the benefits this can bring. The book presents 29 example species—mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians—that are common to a large part of southern and eastern Australia. Each entry gives the distinguishing features of the animal, key features of its required habitat, and what can be done on a farm to better conserve the species.

Historical perspective. Wildlife values in a Changing World. New patterns on land and water. Influence of land management on wildlife. Special problems of waters and watersheds. Pesticides and wildlife. Wildlife demage and control. Legislation and administration. Evaluation and Conclusions.

Leading animal rights activist Gene Baur examines the real cost of the meat on our plates -- for both humans and animals alike -- in this provocative and thorough examination of the modern farm industry. Many people picture cows, sheep, pigs, and chickens as friendly creatures who live happily within the confines of a peaceful family farm, arriving as food for humans only at the end of their sun-drenched lives. That's what Gene Baur had been told -- but when he first visited a stockyard he realized that this rosy depiction couldn't be more inaccurate. Amid the stench, noise, and filth, his attention was drawn in particular to one sheep who had been cast aside for dead. But as Baur walked by, the sheep raised her head and looked right at him. She was still alive, and the one thing Baur knew for sure that day was that he had to get her to safety. Hilda, as she was later named, was nursed back to health and soon became the first resident of Farm Sanctuary -- an organization dedicated to the rescue, care, and protection of farm animals. The truth is that farm production does not depend on the family farmer with a small herd of animals but instead resembles a large, assembly-line factory. Animals raised for human consumption are confined for the entirety of their lives and often live without companionship, fresh air, or even adequate food and water.Viewed as production units rather than living beings with feelings, ten billion farm animals are exploited specifically for food in the United States every year. In Farm Sanctuary, Baur provides a thoughtprovoking investigation of the ethical questions involved in the production of beef, poultry, pork, milk,and eggs -- and what each of us can do to stop the mistreatment of farm animals and promote compassion. He details the triumphs and the disappointments of more than twenty years on the front lines of the animal protection movement. And he introduces sanctuary. us to some of the special creatures who live at Farm Sanctuary -- from Maya the cow to Marmalade the chicken -- all of whom escaped horrible circumstances to live happier, more peaceful lives. Farm Sanctuary shows how all of us have an opportunity and a responsibility to consume a kinder plate, making a better life for ourselves and animals as well. You will certainly never think of a hamburger or chicken breast the same way after reading this book.

As the world population grows, so does the demand for food, putting unprecedented pressure on agricultural lands. In many desert dryland regions, however, intensive cultivation is causing their productivity to decline precipitously. "Rewilding" the least productive of these landscapes offers a sensible way to reverse the damage, recover natural diversity, and ensure long-term sustainability of remaining farms and the communities they support. This accessibly written, groundbreaking contributed volume is the first to examine in detail what it would take to retire eligible farmland and restore functioning natural ecosystems. The lessons in Rewilding Agricultural Landscapes will be useful to conservation leaders, policymakers, groundwater agencies, and water managers looking for inspiration and practical advice for solving the complicated issues of agricultural sustainability and water management.

·Extensive sections devoted to the seven major farm animals, including profiles of the most popular breeds and varieties ·Detailed how-to chapters on the care, handling, feeding, health, and safety of each animal ·Special chapters devoted to the breeding and raising of young animals ·Recommendations for ways of capitalizing on your livestock's output, from selling eggs, milk, fiber, and so forth ·Tips for troubleshooting potential problems and warding off diseases, parasites, and predators ·New edition vetted and updated by Dr. Mark McConnon DVM, hobby farm professionals and veterinarians for the most up-to-date information available on the market for shelter, care, health, medicine, nutrition, behavior, marketing, and profit

The next stage in the food revolution: a radical way to select fruits and vegetables and reclaim the flavor and nutrients we've lost. Ever since farmers first planted seeds 10,000 years ago, humans have been destroying the nutritional value of their fruits and vegetables. Unwittingly, we've been selecting plants that are high in starch and sugar and low in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants for more than 400 generations. Eating on the Wild Side reveals the solution -- choosing modern varieties that approach the nutritional content of wild plants but that also please the modern palate. Jo Robinson explains that many of these newly identified varieties can be found in supermarkets and farmer's market, and introduces simple, scientifically proven methods of preparation that enhance their flavor and nutrition. Based on years of scientific research and filled with food history and practical advice, Eating on the Wild Side will forever change the way we think about food.

The quiet revolution of mega-farming that is threatening our countryside, farms and food. 'This eye-opening book . . . deserves global recognition' Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall 'Devastating . . . demands reading and deserves the widest possible audience' Joanna Lumley 'He is informed enough to be appalled, and moderate enough to persuade us to take responsibility for the system that feeds us' Guardian: Book of the Week Farm animals have been disappearing from our fields as the production of food has become a global industry. We no longer know for certain what is entering the food chain and what we are eating. We are reaching a tipping point as the farming revolution threatens our countryside, health and the quality of our food wherever we live in the world. From the antibiotics routinely given to industrially farmed animals to the chemicals that are killing our insect populations, Farmageddon is a fascinating and terrifying investigative journey behind the closed doors of a runaway industry across the world – from Europe to the USA, from China to Latin America. It is both a wake-up call to change our current food production and eating practices, and an attempt to find a way to a better farming future.