i want to learn some more about self sufficiency and i have seen some magizines about that kinda stuff but i was wondering what one you think is the best?
In this old hippie's opinion, old copies of "The Mother Earth News" (from the 1970s & maybe 1980s) and old, old copies of "Organic Gardening and Farming" (from the 1950s & 1960s). Can't remember exactally, but at some point "Organic Gardening and Farming" dropped the "and Farming" part, too bad. "Organic Gardening", is also great. Check eBay. Peace, poor_old_dad
I read the new "Mother Earth News", but the original, "The Mother Earth News" is just my preference. Thanks to some cutting & pasting here's more : Small Farmer's Journal - http://www.smallfarmersjournal.com/ This was the very first farm magazine that told me I could still go out and start up a small diversified farm, and succeed. Publisher Lynn Miller is a nationally known draft horse farmer, draft horse trainer, author, and voice for the unconquered small-scale American farmer. His journal has been sharing how-to information since 1981, regarding small family farms, horse-powered farms, traditional agricultural methods, and country family life topics, in a wonderfully large 11"x17" format. Small Farm Today - http://www.smallfarmtoday.com/ This magazine is another of that rare breed, a magazine that shows us with each issue how folks are out there making their small farms work. It doesn't take big pieces of equipment or rich uncles to start up and succeed in farming. But it does take dedication, education, and smart business planning. Small Farm Today articles cover those topics and more. Stockman Grass Farmer - http://www.stockmangrassfarmer.com/ Are your pastures sometimes bare, muddy, or overgrown? Do you have to feed hay to your livestock some part of the year? Learn how to wean your livestock from the hay habit, and get the best performance out of your pasture, while improving your livestock's health. if any part of your farm involves turning grass into money, these folks will show you how to do it better. The Growing Edge - http://www.growingedge.com/ The magazine, and its partner website, are a tremendous source of information for both established hydroponics growers, and wannabe growers who aren't sure where to start. Growing For Market - http://www.growingformarket.com/ This is a monthly newsletter put out for direct market farmers, written by direct market farmers. These folks also put out an excellent self-published book called The Hoophouse Handbook, which is an excellent guide to using low-cost hoophouses on the farm. Backwoods Home - http://www.self-reliance.com/ or http://www.backwoodshome.com/index.html I don't know what's up with that. The Homestead Act may have been retired in the 1970's, but a lot of folks are still out there carving productive, healthy, vibrant lives out of remote places. And they're doing it without tax breaks, crop subsidies, or reliance on foreign fuels. They're also forming self-sufficient families in the middle of town, using elegant, cost-effective solutions. These same solutions are available to anyone who is willing to learn a little about taking care of their own needs. If you are even remotely interested in how to make or keep yourself and your family more self-reliant, check out this magazine. Home Power - http://www.homepower.com/ They feature a variety of in-depth articles on various alternative energy topics. Even if you just want to reduce your city electric bill a little, they'll show you how. Not a magazine but a LOT of great info: Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA) - http://www.attra.org Possibly the most unwieldly title I've ever heard, but a great source of information. ATTRA is the information clearinghouse for the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service, and what a great job they do! First of all, they offer a huge variety of information papers on a wide range of topics, including field crops, sustainable agriculture, livestock, cover crops, pest management, organic farming, etc. Secondly, their staff will do customized searches through the literature for your particular question. If they don't already have an information sheet on a topic, they'll compile it for you, usually at no charge. All their information pages are in pdf format . I can't recommend them highly enough. Also check "Energy Self Sufficiency Newsletter Archives" : http://www.rebelwolf.com/essn.html All the archived issues of Energy Self Sufficiency Newsletter. I believe, and always will, that ESSN provided useful information to our readers and I truly regret that we weren't able to attract enough advertisers to keep it going. To download the PDF of any issue, simply click on the cover image. To download the entire fifteen issues in one file, click on the link for either the ZIP or TAR.GZ file format. Peace, poor_old_dad
It's not a magazine, but it's like a bible to me so I'm going to recommend it anyway. "The Self Sufficient Life And How To Live It" by John Seymour. It's by far the best comprehensive book about self sufficiency that I've ever read. and by the way...the old Mother Earth News, imho is much better than the new one although I do still get it and enjoy it very much. You can get the entire Mother Earth News collection on CD ROM for something like $20
The Last Straw, and Green Building News are two good periodicals for those interested in sustainable building The Last Straw, if you havn't guessed, is a trade journal for strawbale building
I suscribe to these self sufficiency magazines: Mother Earth News Natural Home and Garden (green building and natural gardens) Small Farmer's Journal (farming with horses, oxen, organics, homesteading, farm skills) Small Farm Today (mostly organic farming/gardening) The Stockman Grass Farmer (which I'm dropping next year, too commercialized) American Small Farm (Too commercialized and materialistic for me, dropping also) Acres USA (eco agriculture/organic, pollitical, book reviews) Rural Heritage (draft animal power, rural living, homesteading) Backhome magazine (homesteading) Backwoods home magazine (homesteading) Countryside (homesteading) The Home Dairy Newsletter (milking a cow, goat, or a sheep, home cheese making) I'm considering Permaculture Activist. I also just purchased a sample of an Intentional Community magazine, I can't remember the name at the moment. I didn't receive it yet. Small Farmer's Journal is one of my favorites becuase it features horse farming and I live on a small farm with horses.
My inlaws just got me a subscription to Countryside and small stock journal. i really like it. i used to Mother Earth news years ago, and loved that as well. Countryside is nice, it has really useful and practical info without a ton of ads.
