The Lean Farm

Description

Lean principles grew out of the Japanese automotive industry, but they are now being followed on progressive farms around the world. Using examples from his own family’s one-acre community-supported farm in Indiana, Hartman clearly instructs other small farmers in how to incorporate lean practices in each step of their production chain, from starting a farm and harvesting crops to training employees and selling goods. Hartman’s prescriptions for high-value, low-cost production applies to farms and businesses of almost any size or scale that hope to harness the power of lean in their production processes.

Reviews

“With lean principles, what’s good for the farm is even better for the farmer. As we invite new farmers back to the land, into vacant lots, and onto rooftops, we have to give them the tools for success and the ability to sustain. ‘Lean farming’ won’t leave you trying to turn a farm into an automotive factory, but you will get a whiff of what it means when the rubber hits the road.” – Philip Ackerman-Leist, author of Rebuilding the Foodshed.

“Farmers are good at farming – it is what they enjoy doing! At the same time, planning, organising, and working out everything most efficiently is often not done as easily. The Lean Farm will help us all easily increase flow, production, and income. It is a treasure trove of possibilities without the need for increased investment!” – John Jeavons, author of How to Grow More Vegetables, executive director of Ecology Action, and developer of sustainable, biologically intensive mini-farming.

Published 2015
Chelsea Green Publishing
Paperback, 240 pages, full-colour photos throughout.
ISBN: 9781603585927