Oct./Nov. 1982 RAIN Page 19 Team of Belgian mares. From: Small Farmer's Journal Small Farmer’s Journal, quarterly, $12.50/yr. Available from; P.O. Box 2805 Eugene, OR 97402 The Small Farmer's Journal has, since 1976, been a consistent and persuasive voice for sensible, sustainable stewardship of the land. It reaches out to people who value traditional farming and the heritage of small farms in America. Articles, many of which are contributed by readers with long farm experience, cover the multitude of topics that a small-scale, diversified farmer cares about. Topics range from soil fertility, weed control, livestock health and innovative equipment design to fish rearing, Qiinese water use, wild bee hunting, and love stories (man and mule). But the strongest emphasis is on animal power on the farm — particularly horse power. Journal writers draw frequently on historical experience with draft animals, but their concern extends far beyond nostalgia for the pre-tractor era. Horse farming is advocated as a viable, intelligent alternative to machineintensive, petroleum-dependent agriculture. High and growing demand for draft horses and a Journal circulation of about 20,000 are two indicators of horse farming's renewed popularity. Another indicator; brisk sales of SFJ editor Lynn Miller's recent book, the Work Horse Handbook ($14.45 ppd. from Mill Press, Inc., Route 4, Box 68, Reedsport, OR 97467). The Handbook is Miller's attempt to fill a near vacuum of current published information about the art of teamstering. The 224-page book is a thorough and amply illustrated introduction to that demanding art and Miller intends to follow it with other volumes that will cover specific applications of horse and mule power in greater detail. In the Journal, Lynn Miller states the case for horse-farming, and for human- scale farming, in hard-hitting, cogent commentaries that clearly define his views of right and wrong, sense and nonsense, with regard to today's agriculture. They used to apologize for us small farmers by explaining to the general public that none of us could ever return to the good old days without mankind having to pay a terrible price. That propaganda approach was equally unfortunate, stupid and self-defeating. No "thinking" proponent of "sanity and humanity" in agriculture ever suggested that a return to a bygone era would be possible and healing. What has been suggested time and time again is that ifwe do not heed the lessons of our own successes and failures (be they distant or near) we guarantee a higher risk of failure. The Small Farmer's Journal is a unique, and often fun-to-read forum for the sharing of farming experience and knowledge, and for small farm advocacy. It strives to be a "community gathering place and a different sort of tool." While foremost it is a farmer's friend and guide, it has much to offer non-farmers too. Anybody with any "country" in them at all, or a desire to become more self-reliant, will enjoy this reading and be heartened that such a publication exists. As you see more and more pictures of working horses, and accompanying discussion, that initial feeling you're seeing an anachronism will be replaced with a realization that the principles embodied in horse-farming are ones that are essential to an enduring agriculture. —Jim Springer Nancy Roberts
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