I found my copy of Gene Logsdon’s The Contrary Farmer while in line at my local library. A quick flip through, plus a glance at the $1 withdrawn price made it a no-brainer to add to my small collection of farming books, most of which I’m getting around to slowly. Laid up earlier this week due to illness, I decided to try the first chapter or so, and wound up finishing the book in a few hours.
Logsdon highlights his contrariness in the title, so I shouldn’t have been surprised at his occasional, unpleasant asides about abortion, complaints of institutional interference, or rant on American politics, but to his credit, he offers more substance than snarl, and even manages a few moments of real beauty. His descriptive essay on meadows, in particular, was enough to transport me away from my sickbed and into a world of butterflies, tall grass and whispering winds.
Mainly, though, Logsdon offers helpful information on basic animal husbandry (the emphasis is on chickens and sheep) with tried-and-true advice from someone who has actually tackled the topics he discusses. His “contrary” suggestions are helpful to those of us starting out with little in the way of resources: He shuns expensive equipment and repeatedly warns about biting off only that which you can chew.
The writing ebbs and flows between dull and factual (the chapter on corn is particularly flat) and charmingly anecdotal. In some cases, we’re flooded with information and tips, and in others, left wanting more. I’ll forgive the inconsistency, though, as the experience was very much as if I’d accompanied the hardbitten farmer on a tour of his land. Logsdon’s realism and pragmatism are two qualities that every putative farmer needs.