Our Chelsea Green Authors : Joel Salatin

Joel Salatin

Called "the high priest of the pasture" by The New York Times, Joel Salatin likes to refer to himself as a "Christian-libertarian-environmentalist-lunatic farmer." He lives with his family on Polyface Farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

Salatin has developed a system of pasture rotation that produces nutrient-rich grass and maximizes the composting of animal waste. Each species on the farm is dependent on another. The cows, for example, eat the nutrient rich grass in Pasture A and then are moved to Pasture B. The chickens then move to Pasture A where they pick through the cow pies eating bugs and grinding the waste into the ground where it revitalizes the grass for the cows.

Salatin's innovative system has gained attention from around the country and he travels in the winter giving lectures and demonstrations. Salatin is the author of a number of books including Holy Cows and Hog Heaven, $alad Bar Beef, You Can Farm, Pastured Poultry Profit$, and Family Friendly Farming, all available from Chelsea Green.

    Joel's Books

    Pastured Poultry Profit$

    A couple working six months per year for 50 hours per week on 20 acres can net $25,000-$30,000 per year with an investment equivalent to the price of one new medium-sized tractor. Seldom has agriculture held out such a plum. In a day when main-line farm experts predict the continued demise of the family farm, the pastured poultry opportunity shines like a beacon in the night, guiding the way to a brighter future.

    Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal

    War Stories from the Local Food Front

    Salatin’s expert insight explains why local food is expensive and difficult to find and will illuminate for the reader a deeper understanding of the industrial food complex.

    You Can Farm

    The Entrepreneur's Guide to Start and Succeed in a Farming Enterprise

    Starting and succeeding in a farming enterprise.

    Family Friendly Farming

    A Multi-Generational Home-Based Business Testament

    A well-written, easily read book on raising a family, children, and running a farm for a profitable business.

    Holy Cows and Hog Heaven

    The Food Buyer's Guide to Farm Friendly Food

    Holy Cows and Hog Heaven encourages every food buyer to embrace the notion that menus are a conscious decision, creating the next generation's world one bite at a time.

    Salad Bar Beef

    Beef can be lean and good for you when it is not a product of the industrial agriculture machine--Salatin brings us back to small scale family farming and teaches us how to make "salad bar beef."