Along with Alan York, we’ve had many mentors as we’ve built Apricot Lane Farms, and never cease being students of farming. Some of our most influential mentors have been Wendell Berry, Gabe Brown, Jerry Brunetti, Jim Gerrish, Mary Oliver, Joel Salatin, and Allan Savory. All of their books, and many others line our office shelves.
If you have an interest in learning more about this way of farming, below is our recommended list of farmers, books, videos, and documentaries that have inspired the “lens” we use to see our farm and have helped inform many of our practices. At the same time, it can be easy to get overwhelmed by all the different perspectives and sometimes conflicting advice on how to farm. The method one chooses to farm is deeply personal and must resonate from within. These writers and farmers below might help inform your personal perspective.
I don’t know much for sure but I do know that farming is first and foremost an art and a way of seeing, everything else after that is just work. Stay curious.”
– John Chester
BROADER PERSPECTIVES THAT INSPIRED THE WAY WE SEE
Wendel Berry – “It All Turns on Affection”, “The Way of Ignorance”, “The Unsettling of America”
Kristin Ohlson – “The Soil Will Save Us”
Joel Salatin – “Folks this aint normal”, Polyface Farms
INTEGRATING THE FARM WITHIN AN ECOSYSTEM & HOLISTIC/REGENERATIVE FARMING
Jerry Brunetti – “The Farm as Ecosystem”
Mark Shepard- “Restoration Agriculture”
Michael Philips- “The Holistic Orchard, Mycorrhizal Planet”
Richard Perkins – “Regenerative Agriculture”
Website for Regenerative Ag with Definitions: https://www.csuchico.edu/regenerativeagriculture/ra101-section/index.shtml
ANIMAL INTEGRATION & REGENERATIVE GRAZING
Alan Savory – Savory Institute
Will Harris – Whiteoak Pastures
Greg Judy – “No Risk Ranching”, “Comeback Farms”
Graeme Hand- Hand for the Land
THE INFINITE WONDER OF SOIL
Nicole Masters – “For the Love of Soil”
Gabe Brown – “Dirt To Soil”
Ray Archuleta – Soil Health, Cover Crops
Paul Stamets- All things Fungi, 6 Ways Mushrooms Can Save the World
Jeff Lowenfels – “Teaming with Microbes/Nutrients/Fungi”
David Montgomery- “Dirt: The Erosion of Civilization”
MARKET GARDENING & ORCHARDS
Charles Dowding – Website on Vegetable Gardening books and resources
JM Fortier – “The Market Gardener”
Eliot Coleman- Four Season Farm
Orin Martin- “Fruit Trees for Every Garden”
NUTRITION, FOOD & FARM-TO-TABLE
Michael Pollan- “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”
Lierre Keith – “The Vegetarian Myth”
Sally Fallon – Traditional Foods, “Nourishing Traditions”
Diana Rodgers – “Sacred Cow”
Jo Robinson – “Eat Wild”
Sandor Katz – Fermenting Books
Natasha Campbell-McBride – “Gut and Psychology Syndrome”
Curtis Stone – “Good Food, Good Life”, “What’s For Dinner?”, “Cooking with Curtis”, and more
WATER & FARMING
Brad Lancaster – Rain Water Harvesting for Drylands
Mark Shepard – “Water for Any Farm”
WATCH LIST
DOCUMENTARIES
The Biggest Little Farm (of course!)
YOUTUBE VIDEOS
Mark Shepard
Introduction to Restoration Agriculture
Permaculture and Economic Sustainability
Michael Phillips
Successful biological orcharding
Supporting the Arboreal Food Web
Richard Perkins
Dr. Christine Jones and Nicole Masters
Building Topsoil Through Liquid Carbon pathway
Bottom Line Benefits of Building Resilience
Implementing Regenerative Ag Practices to Improve Soil Health
David Johnson
Static Pile Fungal Compost (Good history of AG too)
Allen Williams
John Kempf
Changing Agronomy with Biology
Podcast- Advancing Eco Agriculture
Greg Judy
Darren Doherty
Alan Savory
Gabe Brown
Treating the Farm As an Ecosystem Part 1
Treating the Farm as an Ecosystem Part 3
David Montgomery
John D Liu
CERTIFICATIONS
Apricot Lane Farms is certified Organic and Biodynamic®. While we do not believe certification to be a requirement in order to qualify you as a conscientious steward of the land, it does help to guide you towards methods and connects you with resources. Here are those we are actively involved with.
Demeter – Biodynamic Certification
CCOF – California Certified Organic Farmers
