MFGA Blog: Jolabokaflod: My Regen Ag Christmas Book Flood for You

ON-FARM THOUGHTS:

Jolabokaflod: My Regen Ag Christmas Book Flood for You

by Larry Wegner, MFGA Producer Relations

“Jolabokaflod is one of the most unique and charming Icelandic Christmas traditions, celebrated by the people of Iceland. The tradition is to give or receive new books on Christmas Eve. It's not just about the giving, though—it's also about the reading!”*

Season Greetings to all!

I’d like to wish you all and your families a prosperous 2023. The other day I heard about Jolabokaflod, an Icelandic tradition of giving books as Christmas gifts. I checked into it and sure enough, Jolabokaflod is when books are given with beer and chocolate. I also learned that Jolabokaflod translates into "Christmas Book Flood” and after our recent winter storms in southern Manitoba, I thought I would give you a list of a dozen Regen Ag Books and the authors that I have learned from, enjoyed and heartily recommend. Some of these authors have more than one book out there and to choose just one would be tough for me as some books build on other books and create a series. These authors are in no particular order, I present them just how I pulled them off our bookshelf.

“For the Love of Soil” by Nicole Masters

Written, edited and published by Nicole Masters, a New Zealander now spending her time mostly stateside, this book is easy to follow and understand. Nicole is a natural teacher; she takes a topic and determinedly breaks it into the basic simple thread and then enthusiastically builds on the idea and/or concept. She does this in the book, making it so everyone can follow along.

“A Soil Owner’s Manual” by John Stika

This is a small book but full of information on soil health. You may have to read it a few times to let everything soak in.

“Call of the Reed Warbler” by Charles Massy

This is a good book full of the different concepts and stories of producers from Australia. My big take-away from this book was all the different practices that make up Regen Ag and where, how, and who came up with these ideas and concepts. I learned a lot - things like there are no new ideas just better understandings of how these practices work together. Nowadays, the science is catching up and fitting the pieces together to reinforce and complete the storyline.

“Dirt to Soil” by Gabe Brown

I found this book easy to read as it follows Gabe’s journey to rebuild his soil and reclaim financial security on his family’s North Dakota farm. One impressed reader sent a copy of Gabe’s book to the leader of the Ag Committee in Washington DC, which led to Gabe being asked to address the committee. I tuned into Gabe’s testimony (available on YouTube) and he definitely received a whole new level of respect from me as he handled hot-potato questions and thinly-veiled counterpoints from elected officials trying to make political gain on the back of Regen Ag. When you read the book, you will see that Gabe openly credits the people who challenged him to do more and do better. It was these people who motivated Gabe’s personal family farm journey.

”Comeback Farms” by Greg Judy

Greg Judy has written several books about his journey. In the book “Comeback Farms”, Judy takes the reader through the option of not owning the farm but renting or leasing farm land and making improvements with livestock. When he started out, Judy rented the land and custom-grazed other people’s cattle and made a profit. He writes about how to make a rental deal, what works and what does not. I learned that what makes a deal fall apart is just as important as what does work out. It has to be a win-win deal for all involved.

“Salad Bar Beef, Pastured Poultry Profits and Fields of Farmers” by Joel Salatin

Joel Salatin has written many books around different enterprises on the farm that rely on forage-based diets and the direct marketing of them to consumers. Joel’s books are easy to read and follow. In his books “Salad Bar Beef", "Pastured Poultry Profits", and "Fields of Farmers” he writes about the journey to produce healthy products for the consumers that he directly markets to. Joel’s humor shines in his dealing with on-farm processing and marketing, you cannot help but laugh as he details how he deals with inspectors and explains his interpretation of the rules.

“Kick the Hay Habit” by Jim Gerrish

I have a couple of Jim Gerrish books on my book shelf “Management-intensive Grazing” and “Kick the Hay Habit”. These books are easy to read and understand. I was on a zoom call last winter with Jim Gerrish and he stated that he had a person that sent him a copy of a grazing management book written in the 1800’s. Gerrish obviously felt strong enough about that book to showcase the concepts and practices into “Kick the Hay Habit”. The time passage between the two books shows that we are not dealing with new concepts, we just have more science to back what is referred to as Regen Ag today. When I have a producer ask me to help them with a pasture project, I will give them a copy of this book. For those that are committed and sincere with their time and effort around boosting their pastures, it always helps to put both of us on the same level to start. I am always happy to work with those who read the book. This way, I know they are serious about learning and therefore, making it worth my time as we start from common ground together.

“Holistic Management: A New Framework for Decision Making” by Allan Savory with Jody Butterfield

This book is a more complex read than some of the other suggestions, but it is well laid out, almost like a science manual. Each chapter is full of information followed by a one to two page summary and a few paragraphs of personal experiences at the end. When I read the summaries and personal anecdotes, it all tied together and made total sense. It's a different way of thinking. Are you dealing with the problem or a symptom of the problem? Are the weeds in the field the problem or a symptom of the problem? For anyone considering taking the Holistic Management Course, reading this book will definitely help.

“Man, Cattle and Veld” by Johann Zietsman

Zietsman writes about working with and selecting cattle genetics for forage in this book. Veld is the South African word for forage. He does a great job of selecting genetics that will work on your farm or ranch. Johann attended South Africa University where he was taught by Jan Bonsma and was offered Bonsma’s teaching job when he retired. That didn’t happen. Instead, Johann wanted to be his own boss on his own ranch. Over time he stopped using breeding organizations as they pushed for show cattle and not functional working cattle. This book talks about the journey of learning and creating a better path forward using and working cattle genetics. He also was the one in Africa who started mob grazing. This book is on my re-read list for the winter.

“A Road to Fossil Fuel Free Farming” by David Rourke

David is a farmer from the Minto, Manitoba area and a Manitoba writer who is constantly challenging himself (and us all) to be better. This book deals with producing a carbon neutral crop by not using oil products to do field work. One big take-away from this book was the concept that one gallon of fuel is equal to 600-man hours, if you multiply $20/hour of work that gallon of fuel is worth $12,000.00 of labor. How can we replace that work being done by fuel and reduce the carbon footprint? Biodiesel might be the answer as you are recycling carbon and not releasing new carbon to environment. Interesting concept and as always, David puts some provocative and deep thoughts into the issue.

Four Must Read Books: Two by David R Montgomery and Anne Bikle; Two by David R Montgomery

To me, all four of these books are a must read. Each is different and takes you on a journey to understand how we got here and how we might fix the problem.

“The Hidden Half of Nature” by David R Montgomery & Anne Bikle

Deals with the similarity of soil health and human health.

“What Your Food Ate” by David R Montgomery & Anne Bikle

The topic is quality food (nutrient dense), how do get it, why you want it and where you can find it. I am currently reading this book and am enjoying it.

“Dirt” by David R Montgomery

This book was on how we (mankind) did damage the soil over the last 10,000 years, it is not up lifting and ends on a down note.

“Growing a Revolution” by David R Montgomery

A book on how producers from all over the world are making their soil healthy and hope for tomorrow.

Well, in the spirit of Jolabokaflod, these are my Christmas-Book-Flood suggestions for learning about Regen Ag this winter. Always keep in mind what books you might recommend for other inquiring minds. I wish you all a prosperous new year full of good family times, profitable farms and great friendships.

Best regards,