Farm How-to Books?

[Contrariety]

I would love to start a good collection of farm and traditional food how-to books. I don't have a farm yet, but in my pipe dream I do... I've already got gobs of books for gardening and seed saving.

What are your suggestions for books about

-Animal husbandry, in general
-Chickens
-Cows, for mainly dairy purposes
-Cheese making
-Bee husbandry (I recently finished The Secret Life of Bees and I'm pretty sure this could be my new calling in life)
-Whatever else I need to know about living on a self sustaining farm

Suggest away!

[farmer mama]

For the basics I like Storey's Basic Country Skills and The Encyclopedia of country living. Barnyard to Backyard is a good, general farm animal book. For all the individual farm animals I like Storey's Guide to Raising (Chickens, Dairy Goats, Pigs, etc). Home Cheese Making by Ricki Carrol is my favorite cheese making book. For bees I mainly like Beekeeping for Dummies and Natural Beekeeping. HTHs.

[smeisnotapirate]

The Self-Sufficiency Handbook is GREAT.

[Contrariety]

Suh-weet! I just don't even know where to begin myself!

Any more?

[Hibou]

Ditto the Encyclopedia of Country Living. I read a 1970's edition when I was 19, (no I'm not that old, just had an old copy of the book!) and that's what got me hooked on the idea of country living- and taught me a ton!!

Other favorites-
Elliot Coleman's Four Season Harvest
Louise Riotte's books (Carrots Love Tomatoes, Sleeping with a Sunflower)
Lois Hole's books (good for northern gardeners)
Chicken Tractor
How to Save your own Seeds (put out by Seeds of Diversity Canada...there's probably something similar in the U.S.)

Also, I'd suggest you find a good book on local native plant species. I have a few good books, but they are suited to my little corner of the world, and have been very helpful in getting to know, and re-introducing some of these species.

[MamaMonica]

You might like Five Acres and Independence- it;s an old book.

-Keeping a Family Cow by Joann Grohman
-Chickens in Your Backyard by Rick and Gail Luttmann

Happy reading!

[SublimelyOblivious]

John Seymour

The very very best book on the topic is John Seymour's "Self sufficient life and how to live it"
It covers pretty much everything you mentioned and then some. It gives just enough info to get started, and get you going on a project, and you can always buy a subject specific book once you decide that you are more than just interested in a topic.
I really love that book and re read sections of it often.
I also have 5 acres and independence, but I really don't care much for it...it is very out of date and I found little useful info in it that couldn't be found elsewhere.
I also re recommend the Four season harvest and the new organic grower by eliot coleman. And Store's Basic country skills.
My only canning book so far is "putting food by" which is good, but lacking...it is a good addition to others, I believe.
But definitely add the john Seymour book to your library, you will thank me.: