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Books > Professional & Technical > Agriculture & farming > Animal husbandry
Striking a perfect point, flushing grouse for hours, and retrieving
perfectly to hand, two German shorthaired pointer dogs named Jager
and Cent are at the heart of this huntsman's memoir. After hiring
an expert to find the best of this breed in the world, William
Urseth created "The Line"--generations of dogs that not only won
countless tournaments but also created countless highs and
heartbreaks in their lifetimes of bird hunting and spending days in
the field. Centering on stories about the Minnesota Horse and Hunt
Club, the kennel and dogs there, and the hunts in the northern
Midwest of the U.S., these dog tales comprise an entertaining and
touching look at the German shorthaired pointer breed and one man's
relationship with it.
First published in 1964, Ruth Harrison's book "Animal Machines" had
a profound and lasting impact on world agriculture, public opinion
and the quality of life of millions of farmed animals. Concerned
with welfare standards at a time when animal production was
increasing in scale and mechanization, Ruth Harrison set about
investigating the situation in a fair and even-handed way.
Reporting her findings in this book, Harrison alerted the public to
the undeniable suffering of calves living in veal crates and birds
in battery cages. Written at the beginning of the intensive farming
movement, which promised progress but in reality worsened
conditions for domesticated animals, "Animal Machines" provides a
fascinating insight into the system we are living with today and
must continue with as the global population increases. Harrison's
work brought about legal reforms, a greater understanding of farm
conditions for animals and increased public awareness. "Animal
Machines" is reprinted here in its entirety, accompanied by new
chapters by world-renowned experts in animal welfare discussing the
legacy and impact of "Animal Machines" 50 years on.
In an extraordinary exposition, Lorenzen - an expert beekeeper and
student of contemporary spiritual science - describes the `Logos
mysteries', based at the ancient temple of Artemis in Ephesus,
where priestesses were known as `Melissas' (`honeybees') and the
sacrificial priests were called `Essenes' (or `bee-kings'). These
cultic mysteries, he says, bore remarkable parallels to the
workings of a bee colony - specifically in the relationship between
the queen and worker bees to the spiritual `group-soul' of the
bees. Lorenzen commences his unique study with a discussion of
flowers and insects, exploring their common origins. He then
describes the beginnings of the honeybee, its connection with the
fig wasp, and the subsequent controlled transformation of the
latter that took place in pre-historic mystery-centres. Breeding
the honeybee from the fig wasp - a sacred deed performed at
consecrated sanctuaries - was part of the `Fig-tree mysteries'. The
initiates behind this task developed the ability to commune with
the bees' group-soul and to work consciously on the mutual
development of the hive and humanity. This concise but rich work
features an illuminating foreword by Heidi Herrmann of the Natural
Beekeeping Trust as well as a lucid introduction by translator Paul
King that explains the anthroposophical concepts employed by
Lorenzen in his text.
Cattle are one of our major domesticated animals, a higher mammal
with complex mental and physical needs. The benefit of a knowledge
of cattle behaviour means veterinarians and stockpeople can
recognise abnormal behaviour signs for disease diagnosis and
indication of an inadequate environment. This book replaces the
book Cattle Behaviour, written by the same author and published by
Farming Press in 1993. The text has been revised and updated and
four new chapters on cattle welfare have been added. The main
interest of many reading a book on behaviour is its relation to the
welfare of the species, so the combination of welfare and behaviour
is a logical one.
Poultry Breeds is a fresh field guide of feathered friends with
stunning photos highlighting the beauty and unique attributes of
104 chicken, duck, goose, and turkey breeds. Each profile outlines
the bird's history, physical characteristics, and common uses, with
specially noted fun facts sprinkled throughout. This pocket-size,
browsable guide is easy to use, and author Carol Ekarius knows her
birds: she has been writing about livestock for nearly 20 years and
has raised her own for decades.
From addled to wind egg, crossed beak to zygote, the terminology of
everything chicken is demystified in "The Chicken Encyclopedia", a
comprehensive A-to-Z reference volume presented in a friendly,
highly illustrated format. Whether it's the difference between wry
tail, split tail, and gamy tail; the meaning of hen feathered,
forced molt, or quill feather; the characteristics of droopy wing;
the content of granite grit; or the translation of a chicken's
alarm call, here are all the answers to every chicken question and
quandary, from the practical to the curious. The in-depth entries
go beyond simple definitions to offer solutions to problems,
instructions for tasks from catching a chicken to candling an egg,
and historical origins of poultry-related terms. The fascinating
lore behind breeds such as the Dutch Bantam and the Egyptian
Fayoumi are detailed, as well as the reasons for behaviours from
beak beating to head shaking.
Roaming Wild details the unconventional and pioneering lives of
Anna and Peter Roberts, a British couple who were instrumental in
making the animal welfare movement a respectable, highly-impactful
and worldwide organisation. This book explores the paths that led
Anna and Peter to found and steward what is now the world's largest
and most successful animal welfare charity from a backroom of their
own home, with few funds, and at a time when caring for animals and
our planet was seen as 'crankish' and 'sentimental'. This is the
story of their family, their era, influence, their rebellion and
prophetic ideas and the development of Compassion in World Farming.
It spans the period from the early 1920s when they were born,
throughout the decades of their childhoods and World War II, to
their highly romantic meeting and marriage in the 1950s, and then
the next years of their lives as dairy and chicken farmers in rural
Hampshire. This 'ordinary' part of their story preceded their move
to change everything by making the 'extraordinary' decision during
the tumultuous 1960s, of risking their livelihood, going vegetarian
(as animal farmers), and losing the approval of their peers, to
found their compassion-driven campaign. This personal
transformation was at a time when the British countryside was also
transforming, irrevocably and for the worse, when intensive,
polluting farms were just taking root, the cruel battery and
broiler system had recently been developed, and the countryside's
biodiversity was being destroyed with the implementation of
monoculture and the profligate spraying of lethal biocides, such as
DDT. The Roberts were at first rejected by the popular animal
charities of the day; believing that the public cared only about
companion animals or those in circuses, rather than those animals
who suffer the most at human hands - those in the food chain - and
so the Roberts family went out alone and set up CIWF in the face of
much public derision. Then followed the highs and lows of campaign
life, a court battle with an order of veal-farming Catholic monks,
famine campaigns in Ethiopia, work alongside comedian Spike
Milligan, model Celia Hammond and philosopher Peter Singer,
challenging EU legislation, and battles with agricultural and
chemical giant Monsanto. Corporate giants like McDonald's were
influenced to go free-range, even the British Royal family was
challenged to go free-range, and animals were put on the agenda of
every major political party in the 1970s and much more. The story
interweaves the personal with the political and documents the highs
and lows of family life, the judgement faced when they chose to
raise their three daughters as vegetarians in the 1960s, their
myriad spiritual quests, including the couple's time spent in the
Indian ashram of Sathya Sai Baba, their rewilding of the land near
their family home, and the story of their fifty-year love. This is
a tale of an 'ordinary couple with an extraordinary vision'.
" "Horse Business Management" will equip you with the knowledge to
run a profitable horse business. Down-to-earth and highly readable,
this book demonstrates how to apply modern business theory to
create success. Essentially, it will enable you to develop your
vision of excellence and the specialist skills needed to make that
vision a reality. Sections include: Understanding the market
Considering available assets Developing effective marketing
strategies Developing effective practices in daily yard management
Providing a safe and rewarding environment for all involved
Recognising and providing a high quality experience for the
customer Providing a solid financial return
Jeremy Houghton Brown and Marcus Clinton offer you their expert
advice on modern equine business techniques, sharing their wealth
of practical experience, and their thorough understanding of the
horse industry.
Extensively revised for its fourth edition, "Horse Business
Management" is applicable to every type of stable yard and horse
business. It is equally suited for both current and prospective
horse business owners and managers, and should be in the hands of
every college equine student. Edit "
This textbook provides an integrated view of beef cattle production
with a systems based approach, discussing the interrelationships of
a broad range of aspects with the overall goal of optimising cattle
production. This book provides the background to allow cattle
producers to match their production environments with genetic,
management, and marketing opportunities for sustainable beef
production globally. This logic and resulting considerations can
then be tailored to address specific regional challenges and
opportunities worldwide. Considerations and examples for extreme
situations will be provided, such as very small herds, very large
herds, communal-group situations, and minimal artificial input
systems. This practical book will be important reading for upper
level undergraduate and postgraduate students in animal and
veterinary science, producers, extension workers and veterinarians.
Effective management requires knowledge, dedication, and a sincere
interest in the well-being of horses. In this thoroughly updated
second edition of her best-selling classic, Cherry Hill explains
how to be a responsible steward of the land while providing horses
with the best care possible. Drawing on decades of personal
experience and recommendations from hands-on Extension agents
throughout North America, Hill provides detailed, practical
information designed to help readers develop and refine their
"horsekeeping consciousness."
A thorough understanding of horses is critical to good
horsekeeping, so Hill begins by explaining the behavior and the
physical and emotional needs of the horse. She encourages readers
to choose a management method that fits their lifestyle and locale.
She then explains how to maximize efficiency through careful
planning of facilities and implementation of diligent management
routines that keep horses happy, healthy, and safe.
Well organized and generously illustrated with color photographs
and instructive plan drawings, Horsekeeping on a Small Acreage is
packed with information that horse owners need. Acreage selection,
layout design, and checklists for daily, weekly, monthly, and
seasonal management routines are just a few of the essential topics
covered in this invaluable reference.
Since it was first published in 1991, Horsekeeping on a Small
Acreage has sold more than 160,000 copies. This new edition is
full-color and has been thoroughly redesigned, revised, expanded,
and updated.
In tandem with the recent surge in interest by various industry
players in meliponiculture that see the rapid expansion of the
stingless industry globally, there is a need to disseminate new
knowledge and research findings in stingless beekeeping. The demand
for honey-based products and related activities in meliponiculture
opens many opportunities and new challenges in the stingless bee
industry that require answers and solutions. Recent Advances in
Global Meliponiculture highlights the most recent work on
meliponine and meliponiculture. It disseminates information, shares
recent works, and fosters a global network on stingless bee
research. Covering topics such as pollination services, vertical
hive technology, and honey applications, this premier reference
source is an essential resource for practitioners, meliponists,
apiarists, students and educators of higher education, librarians,
researchers, and academicians.
The meat on our plates kills the planet. With global mass
production of livestock reaching ever higher levels to feed an
exploding world population's demand, mankind's ecological hoofprint
reaches critical heights. The Ecological Hoofprint provides a
rigorous and eye-opening analysis of global livestock production.
Following his previous groundbreaking Zed book 'The Global Food
Economy', Tony Weis shows what this production means for the health
of the planet, how it contributes to worsening human inequality and
how it constitutes a profound but invisible aspect of the systemic
violence. This book explains how the phenomenal growth and
industrialization of livestock production is a central part of the
accelerating biophysical contradictions of industrial capitalist
agriculture and of ongoing and future food crises.
Bees make honey; we all know that. But what happens between the bee
buzzing around our garden, and the sticky knife in the jar, is a
mystery to most of us. How many bee-hours does it take to make just
one jar of honey? What do the honeybees' waggling dances really
mean? Why do bees swarm? What is a 'house bee'? From exploring
their life cycle and development, to revealing their societies and
behaviour, expert biodynamic beekeeper Michael Weiler answers these
questions and many more. Combining poetic observations with
scientific detail, The Secrets of Bees uncovers the incredible
world of these remarkable insects.
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