Description
Book SynopsisFirst published in 1946, Walter Thomas Jack''s classic book of agricultural essays, The Furrow and Us, intensified the till versus no-till debate, called by Time magazine the hottest farming argument since the tractor first challenged the horse. Hailed as the answer to Edward Faulkner''s Plowman''s Folly, Jack''s cautionary memoir of agricultural progress between world wars treats the soil''s intimate needs, its hidden hungers, with the lyricism and love characteristic of an Iowa Quaker, schoolteacher, and conservation farmer. Released here in a sixtieth anniversary edition and updated and introduced by Walter Jack''s great-grandson Zachary, this new edition serves as a timely call to steward the good soils that sustain us.
Trade ReviewPoisoned water, infertile land, unhealthy food. Sixty years ago, a Quaker farmer predicted these results of big farming. It's not too late to heed his warning. -- Dr. Robert T. Rhode, author of The Harvest Story: Recollections of Old-Time Threshermen
The Furrow and Us belongs on the shelf of everyone concerned with organic farming, agricultural history, soil conservation, and all who cherish our agronomic heritage . . . . Thanks to Zachary Jack, whose introduction is itself a bit of brilliant agricultural history, we have this fascinating book available again. -- Dr. Charles E. Little, author of Green Fields Forever, Louis Bromfield at Malabar, and Hope for the Land
This edited and updated version of Walter Thomas Jack's conservation classic, The Furrow and Us, is a timely reminder that American farmers have long grappled with many of the public resource issues that preoccupy environmentally conscious citizens in these more urbanized times. . . . Zachary Michael Jack's thoughtful Preface artfully constructs a contemporary framework for linking the original author's times, insights, and priorities with the problems and concerns that bedevil all of us who are concerned about the future of rural life in America and the implications of industrialized agriculture for people and the land in these times. -- Dr. Max Geier, University of Western Oregon
Professor Zachary Jack provides a timely service with this updated edition of The Furrow and Us. Authored by his great-grandfather sixty years ago, the original edition offered a much needed antidote to Edward Faulkner's highly publicized Plowman's Folly. . . . Consisting of succinct, reflective, and technical essays, this short treatise deserves wide readership among academics, policy-makers, and the general public. -- Dr. Glenn Harris, St. Lawrence University
The Furrow and Us is an…informative guide to the intricacies that are the everyday work life of the experienced farmer...highly recommended read for the ecologist, soil conservationists, practicing farmers, and students of agriculture and agronomy. * Wisconsin Bookwatch *
A message from the past still . . . thoroughly modern, The Furrow and Us is the work of a visionary writer. -- Dr. Brooks Blevins, author of
Hill Folks: A History of Arkansas Ozarkers and Their Image
This classic collection is more than just a legacy. If we place Jack's concerns about sustainable growth, local ecologies, and organic methods in the twenty-first century, where they certainly belong, we can see that his vision about the appropriate relationship between a farmer and the soil is also a vision about our own health...a must read for all Iowans who seek some basic knowledge in order to participate in the ongoing debates about soil fertility and healthy agriculture. -- Barbara J. Dilly * The Annals Of Iowa *
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Editor's Preface Chapter 2 Acknowledgments Chapter 3 Introduction Chapter 4 Part One: Sentiment Chapter 5 Part Two: Soil Chapter 6 Part Three: Soil and Sentiment Chapter 7 Appendix Chapter 8 Notes Chapter 9 About the Editor
