Foreword

n the way to speak at a conference recently, my

host asked, How much of your self-esteem
comes from speaking and traveling? In a discreet
way, he was probing how much satisfaction I still
derived from the farm after a half century. Without
any hesitation or batting an eye, I shot back, None.
My earliest childhood dreams and vocational
aspirations centered on farming. Nothing gives me
more contentment than to rise at daybreak, step out
on the back porch, inhale deeply, survey the homestead surroundings, and know deep within my soul
that I am nestledcradled evenin a womb of
abundance. And its a womb I can caress, can
encourage, can bring out more abundance and
strength from than if it were left in a static state.
In a world where most people feel disunion with
natures pulse, on our farm I enjoy a daily embrace
from this visceral representation of Gods provision
and sufficiency. In turn, I have the honor and privilege
of embracing back, like I love you back, in a participatory environmentalism wherein I am partner, not
pillager. I am daily friend, not occasional visitor. Good
farming and good food systems should synergize
natures desires:clean and abundant soil, air, and
water. Most modern farming systems compete with
these interests; they dont complement natures desires.
Ultimately, on our farm, we dont grow food to
feed people; we grow food as part of our land-
healing ministry. Were glad that it also tastes good
and feeds us, but ultimately our farming is about
restorative capacity, balanced eco-health. Shawn
and Beth Dougherty share a similar vision on their
farm, as they explain in a beautiful story of family,

community, partnering with nature, and life in The

Independent Farmstead.
The local food tsunami sweeping American
culture includes a hefty homestead movement.
Homesteading is about as primal as it gets. Driven by
preppers, self-reliance, the call to commune with
nature, Dilbert cubicle burnout, and a host of other
yearnings, the desire to own a safe haven property to
feed, clothe, and shelter ourselves with is a pilgrimage to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
That the average urban westerner spends much of his
spare time playing fantasy video games, living in a
world of entertainment, or getting away from it all
speaks to the soul-yearning pulse of the human heart
to connect with life. Something beyond the commute,
the office, the packaged groceries, and the credit card.
The leap to a homestead dances in the minds of
many folks as the ultimate antidote for the rat race,
the treadmill. I remember well the day I made that
leapalthough it was a much smaller leap than most.
September 24, 1982, the day I left my town job, left
the steady paycheck, left company health insurance,
and returned to the family farmstead. With a wife
and infant son, the leap appeared foolhardy to everyoneand they told me so in no uncertain terms.
But with a wife more frugal than I, a piece of raw
land my parents had worked off-farm to procure, my
dads vision, a well-read stack of Organic Gardening
and Farmingand Mother Earth News magazines plus
iconic chemical-free agriculture books, our little
family settled into a rich but cash-poor life. We never
looked back and never regretted the decision. Only
in very recent years have we ever driven a vehicle

1 ix !

The Independent Farmstead

manufactured in the same decade. I think Ive been
to a movie theater about six times in my life. We still
dont have a TV. Who needs to eat out when the best
food on the planet is in the freezer and cellar?
People addicted to celebrity culture, consumerism, processed food, fashion, and recreation have
no idea what theyre missing. My grandchildrens
friends think our farmstead is the coolest place in
the world. Our ponds brim with bass and bluegills,
not to mention egret dives and barn swallow theatrics. Spiders, butterflies, and toads occupy little ones
for hours. A well-run homestead is a place of awe,
wonder, and mystery.
And yes, what makes it so is the farmer. This is not
a park or wilderness area. Its actually teaming with
more life, building soil more rapidly, sequestering
carbon more efficiently due to the day-to-day, systematic, mindful injection of human innovation, work,
and mechanical leverage. The notion that wild places
are more natural, or more ecological, than a well-
managed farmstead is poppycock. Since I came alongside our ecological womb as farmer many years ago, it
supports far more wildlife, holds more water, has
deeper and more fertile soil, and grows far more vegetation than it ever dideven before Europeans
arrived.
A working, productive farm can be ecologically
balanced and beneficial. But such a farm never
strays far from ancient patterns. These are fairly
simple. First, all functional ecosystems have
animalslots of animals. Second, grass is more
efficient at converting sunbeams into biomass than
trees. Third, animals move. Fourth, perennials
occupy far more land than annuals, which are almost
an after-thought. Fifth, carbon builds soil; chemical
fertilizer does not. Sixth, food systems are local-
centric primarily, with global commerce relegated
to the exotic or luxurious. Seventh, feeding ourselves
is the cornerstone of civilization.

Using these basic ideas as templates for their own

homestead, Shawn and Beth Dougherty take us by
the hand and lead us down their discovery path
transforming a piece of land deemed unfit for farming by the state of Ohio, to one brimming with
abundance by the hard work of their hands. I can
vouch for its truth because every day is not perfect.
Ive slept with chickens, pulled calves from troubled
cows in the middle of the night, waded through
flood waters to rescue laying hens.
Who needs Disneyworld when you have these
things to pump your adrenaline? Who needs fantasy games when youre matching wits with a sly fox
or recalcitrant pig? I love the way the Doughertys
capture both the soaring majesty and the down-anddirty reality of farm life. One afternoons heart-
stopping gorgeous setting sun casting vibrant
oranges and yellows off verdant pastures is replaced
the next with torrential rain and devastating winds
that rip flapping pieces of barn roof off and soak the
nicest second-cutting hay stashed underneath.
Im impressed by the shear breadth and eclecticism of Shawn and Beths farmstead, which of
course is why people come to them from all over to
learn, see, and participate. That they can now reach
more people with this book is tribute both to their
teachers hearts and to the functionality of their
operation that they can devote this kind of time and
attention to documenting their journey.
This book encourages and inspires all of us, no
matter if were just wannabes or if were old hands.
Thoughtfully portrayed experience never goes out of
style, and this book is one youll want to refer to for
years to come. Thank you, Shawn and Beth, for letting
us peek into your life windowits a wonderful view.

1x!

Joel Salatin
Polyface Farm, Swoope, Virginia
April 2016