Why Cows Need Names

Randy James

Description

An inspiring glimpse into the struggles of a young Amish farm familyAgriculture continues to be the largest industry in the United States with over 2.2 million farms. Amazingly, well over 100,000 new small family farms have sprung up in the past few years . . . and almost no one noticed.Why Cows Need Names follows one young Amish family as they dream about and then struggle to establish a profitable and quintessentially American small farm. The story starts with Eli Gingerich's first timid phone call to author Randy James, the county agricultural agent in Ohio's Geauga Amish Settlement-the fourth-largest Amish settlement in the world-and traces the family's progress over the next five years. Through gentle dialogue and true stories, James captures the challenges of creating a simple business plan that will lead to the family's radiant success or dismal failure. As the narrative unfolds, readers get a rare glimpse into what it's like to work in the fields with draft horses; in the barn with cows, calves, children, and Chip the family dog; or to sit at the table talking with family and friends over a noontime meal. A picture emerges of how quietly living a shared goal and "doing without" during hard times can strengthen families and provide an appreciation for what is truly important in life.In addition to the business aspects and day-to-day farm activities, James interweaves commentary on our complex relationships with animals. The stark differences in the way animals are treated and valued in agribusinesses versus on small family farms is a recurring theme, as is debunking the myth that bigger is always better in American agriculture.Surrounded by a factory-farm world, the Gingerich family employs a business model that flatly rejects the dogma of "economies of scale" and instead focuses on the diversity, flexibility, and efficiency that only a small family farm can capture. Why Cows Need Names provides a partial roadmap, not only for other small farms but for the many thousands of family businesses that are created each year and largely ignored in our national psyche. It will appeal to anyone interested in business management, our food supply, animal welfare, and Amish family life.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Church of England

Informations

• Publié par: The Kent State University Press
• Date de parution: 20 août 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781612777016
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Why Cows NEEd NàmEs

Why Cows NEEd NàmEs

and More Secrets of Amish Farms

Ràndy JàmEs

™ ™ Black Squirrel Books an imprint of ThE KEnt StàtE UnIvErsIty PrEss KEnt, OhIo 44242 www.KEntStàtEUnIvErsItyPrEss.com

™ BlaCK SqUiRRel BOOKS™ FrIsky, IndustrIous bLàck sQuIrrELs àrE à fàmILIàr sIght on thE KEnt StàtE UnIvErsIty càmpus ànd thE InspIràtIon for BLàck SQuIrrEL Books™, à tràdE ImprInt of ThE KEnt StàtE UnIvErsIty PrEss. www.KEntStàtEUnIvErsItyPrEss.com

© 2013 by ThE KEnt StàtE UnIvErsIty PrEss, KEnt, OhIo 44242 aLL rIghts rEsErvEd lIbràry of CongrEss CàtàLog Càrd NumbEr 2012043636 iSBN 978-1-60635-168-0 MànufàcturEd In thE UnItEd StàtEs of amErIcà

lIbràry of CongrEss CàtàLogIng-In-PubLIcàtIon Dàtà JàmEs, Ràndy, 1955–  Why cows nEEd nàmEs : ànd morE sEcrEts of amIsh fàrms / Ràndy JàmEs. pàgEs cm  SEQuEL to: Why cows LEàrn Dutch. 2005.  ISBN 978-1-60635-168-0 (hardcover) ∞ 1. Fàrm LIfE—OhIo—GEàugà County. 2. Fàrms—OhIo—GEàugà County. 3. amIsh fàrmErs—OhIo—GEàugà County—BIogràphy. 4. DàIry fàrmErs— OhIo—GEàugà County—BIogràphy. i. JàmEs, Ràndy, 1955– Why cows LEàrn Dutch. ii. TItLE.  S521.5.O3J36 2013  636'.0109771336—dc23 2012043636

17 16 15 14 13

5 4 3 2 1

Dedicated to the people of

the Geauga Settlement

Contents

 PrEfàcE ànd acknowLEdgmEnts Ix 1 a Bumpy Roàd ahEàd 1 2 a NEw Fàrm . . . Just ThInk of thE PossIbILItIEs 6 3 Who arE ThEsE amIsh FoLks? 21 4 ThE BudgEt NumbErs 26 5 GEt BIggEr ànd SpEcIàLIzE 34 6 Four BIg quEstIons 41 7 BIndErs, PLàntErs, ànd OthEr Such Stuff 47 8 Why Cows NEEd NàmEs 57 9 SILàgE 101 72 10 lunch, TàLk, ànd SILàgE 102 85 11 MILkIng—a FàmILy affàIr 95 12 ThE Comfort of FrIEnds 109 13 HorsEmEàt for BrEàkfàst 121 14 Tour thE MànurE 130 15 MànurE MInutIà ànd lunch 145 16 DràftEd Out of REtIrEmEnt 156 17 ThE MILk PrIcE BLuEs167 18 “it’s Whàt WE Wànt to Do” 179 19 ChInEsE undEr thE MàpLE TrEE 188 20 WE aLwàys Do 199 21 MovIng On 210  aftErword 227

Preface and Acknowledgments

ThE GEàugà amIsh sEttLEmEnt Is à rEàL communIty cEntErEd In GEàugà County In northEàst OhIo. ThE storIEs In thIs book àrE truE, though most of thE nàmEs, fàrm LocàtIons, ànd somE othEr dEtàILs hàvE bEEn chàngEd to prEsErvE thE ànonymIty of thE amIsh fàrm fàmILIEs. Much of thE dIà- LoguE Is vErbàtIm. HowEvEr, thE dIàLoguE Is rEconstructEd from notEs since any recording device would be a major impediment to a free-owing convErsàtIon wIth amIsh pEopLE. SomE of thE convErsàtIons ànd à fEw of thE chàràctErs àrE composItEs of vàrIous convErsàtIons ànd IndIvIduàLs In thE sEttLEmEnt. SomE of thE dIàLoguE ànd sEntEncE structurE mày sEEm somEwhàt formàL, or EvEn à LIttLE àrchàIc. WIthout à constànt bàrràgE of TVs, ràdIos, computErs, ànd cELL phonEs, thE syntàx of amIsh convErsà- tIon oftEn vàrIEs sLIghtLy from thE LàrgEr non-amIsh communIty. in àd- dItIon, nEàrLy EvEryonE In thE communIty Is bILInguàL, wIth PEnnsyLvànIà Dutch bEIng thE LànguàgE of thE homE ànd fàmILy.  WhILE thE amIsh fàIth tràcEs Its orIgIns to cEntràL europE, àLL of thE àpproxImàtELy 300 amIsh sEttLEmEnts ExIstIng todày àrE In thE UnItEd StàtEs ànd Cànàdà. Both thE numbEr of amIsh pEopLE ànd thE numbEr of sEttLEmEnts àrE ràpIdLy IncrEàsIng, ànd thE GEàugà sEttLEmEnt—wIth ovEr 2,500 housEhoLds—Is thE fourth LàrgEst of àLL amIsh sEttLEmEnts.  ThE fàrmIng pràctIcEs ànd othEr customs dIscussEd In thIs book àrE spE- ciîc to the Geauga settlement and do not reect all Amish settlements. Speciîc customs and practices between, and even within, settlements vary wIdELy ànd chàngE ovEr tImE. For ExàmpLE, fàrmErs In somE sEttLEmEnts use tractors for îeldwork; in other settlements, tractors can only be used

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