A Practical Farmers Journey: A History of Community, Stewardship, and Resilience

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Part historical memoir and part "blueprint" for sustainable farming and the future of agricultural communities, this works follows the life of a born and raised farmer, and the changes to his trade witnessed over a lifetime.

A Practical Farmers Journey consists of three promises. The first is the promise that was fulfilled for many immigrants as they came to settle in western Iowa. Many were able to purchase land, start farms, and build new towns and communities. The second promise is how the promise was broken, coinciding directly with Ron L. Rosmann's lifetime of over 50 years as a farmer. The corporatization and industrialization of agriculture broke that promise by consolidating farms, monocropping, confining livestock, destroying much of the agroecology, and abandoning rural communities. The third promise is how to restore the promise which details how agricultural communities learned to farm in a more thoughtful and sustainable manner. Through the narrative story of the farmer and author, and using these promises as the framework, A Practical Farmers Journey details how to combat climate change in agriculture and how to create healthier farms and food systems to restore the unfulfilled promise of rural America.

Reviews

Take a fascinating walk with Ron Rosmann on his quest to be a practical farmer, driven by a deep understanding and respect for the ecology of the farm he stewards. Learn about the strength and stamina Ron and his family demonstrated in charting a new path, away from government machinations that define agriculture today, to a self-sustaining homestead. The book is part historical treatise on complex farm policies, and part journey into farm life from the 1970s to today. Ron easily weaves the importance of participation in political processes with personal farming anecdotes, which often reveal that inimitable, self-deprecating Rosmann sense of humor, that is emblematic of the thoughtful balance in life that the family achieves together. -- Kathleen Delate, Professor of Organic Agriculture and Horticulture, Iowa State University, US
I have enjoyed many experiences similar to those of Rons growing up on an Iowa farm in the decades following the 1950s, and it brings back a host of memories. It is a great history lesson and so much more. It is also quite thought provoking as Ron shares his thoughts, passions, and a bit of his philosophy and values. He has a wealth of experience as a farmer and policy influencer, and has spent his life helping others and trying to improve the lot of all the myriad of stakeholders in American agriculture. He is advocating for social, economic, environmental, and ecological justice for all Americans. -- Paul Mugge, Organic Farmer, Sutherland, Iowa
A Practical Farmers Journey is indispensable reading for anyone seeking to understand U.S. agriculture, its past, and the new directions we should seek. The book combines an insightful family and community farming history with spot-on observations of U.S. agricultural policy and food system inequities. With bravery and humility, Ron draws the reader into his internal dialogue and openly questions dearly-held assumptions about the role of agriculture in U.S. society and farm policy. Standing on a rock-solid analytical foundation and a lived experience as a practical farmer and a prominent sustainable and organic agriculture advocate, he issues a compelling clarion call for integrating social and ecological justice in farm policy, with a key role for mid-scale family farms in that transformation. Rons concluding analysis of agricultures role in climate change and his research-based mitigation strategies are invaluable tools for achieving a more sustainable agriculture and planet. -- Ferd Hoefner, Founding Policy Director, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, Washington, DC
Ron Rosmann has distilled much needed guidance for our era. Although the core of his reflections naturally have to do with his lengthy and successful career as an Iowa farmer, this, to me, boldly addresses the complex technical, socioeconomic, and existential questions of our times with remarkable depth. Rosmann and his wife, Maria, are exactly the type of thoughtful, conscientious, and erudite citizen farmers that Jefferson had in mind when he envisioned an agrarian nation of enlightened agriculturalists. Set aside whether you have an interest in farming or not. If you value sober grappling with the big questions of our time and about humanitys future, read this book to peer into the thinking of a deeply intellectual fellow traveler who describes his understanding of humanitys current condition, his place in it, and most importantly, his assessment of the way forward. Profoundly stimulating and hopeful. -- Ricardo Salvador, Senior Scientist with, Director of, and now Advisor to the Food and Environment Program, Union of Concerned Scientists, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Rons work is a comprehensive story of his farm familys journey through decades of change in the Iowa landscape. His research begins with an explanation of what happened to the Native Americans and continues through the social and environmental evolution that brings us to our current times. This is a bold and inspiring book from an exceedingly dedicated farmer who spent his life supporting and defending his rural community. -- Tom Frantzen, Organic farmer, Alta Vista, Iowa
Ron has written a fascinating story about the settling of the Iowa prairie where his family farm is located. It explores in a comprehensive manner the inter-connectedness of the history of Native Americans, the Missouri River, and European immigrants settlement to the region. It is both a personal and communal story. The land and its new communities mixed together to shape and form a new country. Its insights into our historical knowledge of the land and rural community, how they have endured, are critical to understanding what to do about our very uncertain future. -- Vic Madsen, Organic farmer, Audubon, Iowa

Author Bio

Ronald L. Rosmann is owner-operator of Rosmann certified organic family farms.