The boom in trained service animal use and access has transformed the lives of travelers with disabilities. As a result, tens of thousands of people in the United States and Canada enjoy travel options that were difficult or impossible just a few years ago. Henry Kisor and Christine Goodier provide a narrative guidebook full of essential information and salted with personal, hands-on stories of life on the road with service dogs and miniature horses. As the travel-savvy human companions of Trooper (Kisor's miniature schnauzer/poodle cross) and Raylene (Goodier's black Labrador), the authors share experiences from packing for your animal partner to widely varying legal protections to the animal-friendly rides at Disneyland. Chapters cover the specifics of air, rail, road, and cruise ship travel, while appendixes offer checklists, primers on import regulations and corporate policies, advice for emergencies, and a route-by-route guide to finding relief walks during North American train trips. Practical and long overdue, Traveling with Service Animals provides any human-animal partnership with a horizon-to-horizon handbook for exploring the world.

This visually appealing guide provides all the information that you need in order to start keeping poultry. A buyer's guide shows what features to look for in healthy poultry, and essential information is provided on good poultry husbandry to ensure optimum welfare. A beautifully illustrated guide to poultry breeds of the world follows. Each breed is illustrated with a lavish photograph, and comprehensive text describes the breed type and characteristics. A final chapter looks at popular goose, duck and turkey breeds. If you are interested in keeping chickens in the back yard, selling eggs for profit, or exhibiting pure breeds, this is the perfect book for you.* Includes a comprehensive visual directory of the world's pure breeds or poultry, turkeys, ducks and geese, describing the key characteristics of each. * Common everyday questions are answered, including What is involved in keeping poultry at home? Can chickens make suitable pets? How do I make a poultry house? What is the financial outlay? and What breeds should I choose? * Information is provided on poultry housing, maintenance, feeding, security, health and hygiene.

"That good old farming saying 'make hay while the sun shines' is true in so many ways ... " Life on a family farm is always full of its ups and downs, but the past year for sheep farmer Sue Andrews has been busier than most. There's the arrival of husband Aubrey's lively new sheepdog puppy. Then livestock sales become online auctions just as Sue's beloved pedigree Blue Texel sheep are set to find new homes. And now, to top it all - as lambing starts, a new generation of young farming grandchildren decides it's time to learn the ropes ... This is the latest 'enchanting' portrait of a year in the life of a Cotswold sheep farmer from Amazon bestselling author Sue Andrews (If Clouds Were Sheep, Jumping Over Clouds) - perfect for anyone who enjoys a lively tale of the countryside

Sally Urwin and her husband Steve own High House Farm in Northumberland, which they share with Mavis the sheepdog, one very fat pony, and many, many sheep. Set in a beautiful, wild landscape and in use for generations, it's the perfect setting for Sally's - sometimes brutally - honest and charming account of farming life. From stock sales to lambing sheds, and days spent out in the fields through driving snow and hot summer days, A FARMER'S DIARY reveals the highs, lows and hard work involved in making a living from the land, through all four seasons of the year. Filled with grit and humour, newborn lambs and local characters, this is an enlightening read for anyone who has ever wondered what it's like on the other side of the fence.

Sheep have to be one of the most versatile livestock animals on the planet. All-in-one grazing and fertilising machines, they provide meat and milk for our tables, wool for clothing, carpets, and insulation, skins for leather and rugs, and a whole host of other products. If you have recently acquired sheep or are thinking of starting a small flock, this book is for you. The Sheep Manual is a quick-reference, up-to-date, and easy-to-read guide which helps you choose the right breed for your land, provides essential health and welfare information, and guides you through your first breeding and lambing season.

The honey bee is a miracle. It is the cupid of the natural world. It pollinates crops; making plants bear fruit and helping farmers make money. But in this age of vast industrial agribusiness, never before has so much been asked of such a small wonder. And never before has its survival been so unclear - and the future of our food supply so acutely challenged. In steps John Miller, or rather in he bounds. Miller tasks himself with the care and safe transportation of billions of bees. He is descended from N.E. Miller, America's first migratory beekeeper, and trucks his hives from crop to crop, working the North Dakotan clover in summer and the Californian almonds in winter. He provides the crucial buzz to farmers who are otherwise bereft of natural pollinators, and does so for a price. But while there is steady demand for Miller's miracle workers, especially from the multi-billion-dollar almond industry (without bees an acre of almonds produces no more than 30 lbs of nuts; with bees, 2,000 lbs), he's faced with ever-mounting hive losses. In addition to traditional scourges like bears, wax moths, American foulbrood, tracheal mite, varroa mite, Africanized bees, overturned tractor trailers, bee thieves, PPB (piss-poor beekeeping), etc., beekeepers now lose hives in the most mysterious of ways, when whole colonies simply fly away, abandoning their combs, in an epidemic known as Colony Collapse Disorder. While bad news is in constant supply, Miller forges ahead because he can't imagine doing anything else. He copes and moves on. He works and sometimes triumphs, all with an inspiring sense of humor. "The Beekeeper's Lament" tells his story and that of his bees, creating a complex, moving, and unforgettable portrait of man in the new natural world.

A stunning book from Amanda Owen - shepherdess, wife, mother of nine children, bestselling author and star of C5's Our Yorkshire Farm - that brings her world to life in glorious colour. In Celebrating the Seasons, Amanda shares funny and charming stories about life with her family and their many four-legged charges and describes their activities at Ravenseat, from lambing and shearing to haymaking and feeding the flock in midwinter. Her gorgeous photographs showcase the famous Swaledale landscape she writes about, from the sweeping moors to rare wildflowers and the elusive hares glimpsed in the field. She lives in tune with nature and Amanda's attitude to food is the same. She believes in buying good, seasonal ingredients when it comes to feeding her family and includes her favourite recipes here, from wild garlic lamb with hasselback roast potatoes to rhubarb and custard crumble cake and Yorkshire curd tart. As inspirational as Amanda herself, this book is a beautiful keepsake that will delight everyone who has followed her adventures so far.

Mutton is a great - as yet untold - story with its deep impact on the landscape, history and culture of these islands. This is its turning point. With current heightened public interest in traditional and wholesome meats, now is the time for a serious revival in the popularity of mutton. It once fed the nation and took pride of place on dining tables from peasants to royalty. With the backing of the Mutton Renaissance campaign, it is poised to make a comeback as its extraordinary health and environmental benefits are recognised. Bob Kennard addresses all the issues: what's a wether, mutton as a super-meat, mutton candles, mutton farming round the world, how sheep have shaped the landscape, mutton recipes, braxy ham, salt marsh mutton, butchery tips, lists of mutton breeds, directory of suppliers.

Farming has been in John Connell's family for generations, but he never intended to follow in his father's footsteps. Until, one winter, he finds himself back on the farm and begins to learn the ways of the farmer and the way of the cows. Connell records the hypnotic rhythm of the farming day - cleaning the outhouses, milking the herd, tending to sickly lambs, helping the cows give birth. But alongside the routine events, there are the unforeseen moments when things go wrong: when a calf fails to thrive, when a sheep goes missing, when illness breaks out, when depression takes hold, when an argument erupts and things are said that cannot be unsaid. The Cow Book is the story of a calving season. It is also the story of the cow itself, from its domestication and worship as a God by the Ancient Egyptians to the modern practice of mechanized herds, via the figure of the cowboy, the destruction of the American buffalo, the demise of the aboriginal jackaroos and the consequences of BSE. And, above all, it is the story of Connell's life as a farmer, of his relationship with his birthplace of County Longford, with the community around the family farm, with the animals he tends, and with his father.

Throughout the course of the Second World War, many millions of animals were enlisted to serve. Though they had no choice, yet they demonstrated loyalty, determination and bravery as they shared the burden of war with their human companions both on active service and on the Home Front. From the dogs trained to locate air-raid victims buried under rubble, to the mules that carried ammunition and supplies through the jungles of the Far East, each animal played a crucial role in the war effort. In fact, such was their contribution that those animals that showed exceptional gallantry or devotion to duty were recognised officially with the introduction of the Dickin Medal in 1943. This fascinating book draws from first-hand accounts and contemporary sources to reveal the wide-ranging contributions that animals made both on and off the battlefield.

'Every essay in this book is magnificent... Mesmerizing.' New York Times 'How we interact with animals has preoccupied philosophers, poets, and naturalists for ages,' writes Susan Orlean. Since the age of six, when Orlean wrote and illustrated a book called Herbert the Near-Sighted Pigeon, she's been drawn to stories about how we live with animals, and how they abide by us. Now, in On Animals, she examines animal-human relationships through the compelling tales she has written over the course of her celebrated career. These stories consider a range of creatures - the household pets we dote on, the animals we raise to end up as meat on our plates, the creatures who could eat us for dinner, the various tamed and untamed animals we share our planet with who are central to human life. In her own backyard, Orlean discovers the delights of keeping chickens. In a different backyard, in New Jersey, she meets a woman who has twenty-three pet tigers - something none of her neighbours knew about until one of the tigers escapes. In Iceland, the world's most famous whale resists the efforts to set him free; in Morocco, the world's hardest-working donkeys find respite at a special clinic. We meet a show dog and a lost dog and a pigeon who knows exactly how to get home. Equal parts delightful and profound, enriched by Orlean's stylish prose and precise research, these stories celebrate the meaningful cross-species connections that grace our collective existence.

The Backyard Sheep is the go-to reference for anyone interested in keeping two to a dozen sheep on a small plot of land. Even those with no prior experience will learn how to select the right breed, keep sheep safe and healthy, make them strong dairy and fleece producers and bring out their personalities as pets or companion animals. This book is filled with Sue Weaver's infectious enthusiasm for sheep. Readers will learn that sheep are much smarter than they get credit for and how to tell tham apart from goats. With wit and wisdom, Weaver teaches the skills for milking, shows how to tip a sheep to keep it still and discusses sheep behaviour so nothing comes as a surprise to the newly initiated.

They roam our hills and wander our country lanes; graze in our valleys and frolic in our fields. Sheep have lived happily beside us in Ireland for some five thousand years - it's no wonder they're an unofficial national symbol. In this book, we celebrate our wonderful woolly friends, who not only fill our meadows, but also our history and our hearts.

THE SUNDAY TIMES NATURE BOOK OF THE YEAR The new bestseller from the author of The Shepherd's Life 'A beautifully written story of a family, a home and a changing landscape' Nigel Slater As a boy, James Rebanks's grandfather taught him to work the land the old way. Their family farm in the Lake District hills was part of an ancient agricultural landscape: a patchwork of crops and meadows, of pastures grazed with livestock, and hedgerows teeming with wildlife. And yet, by the time James inherited the farm, it was barely recognisable. The men and women had vanished from the fields; the old stone barns had crumbled; the skies had emptied of birds and their wind-blown song. English Pastoral is the story of an inheritance: one that affects us all. It tells of how rural landscapes around the world were brought close to collapse, and the age-old rhythms of work, weather, community and wild things were lost. And yet this elegy from the northern fells is also a song of hope: of how, guided by the past, one farmer began to salvage a tiny corner of England that was now his, doing his best to restore the life that had vanished and to leave a legacy for the future. This is a book about what it means to have love and pride in a place, and how, against all the odds, it may still be possible to build a new pastoral: not a utopia, but somewhere decent for us all. 'A heartfelt book and one that dares to hope' Alan Bennett 'A wonder of a book, fierce, tender, and beautiful' Helen Macdonald Winner of the Wainwright Prize Winner of the Fortnum & Mason Food Book of the Year Shortlisted for the Orwell Prize Shortlisted for the Ondaatje Prize Longlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize

Together, Corey and Ajax traverse the steep high country throughout the South Island searching out kea nests. Their part in the kea conservation effort is essential and both Ajax and Corey can rightly be called conservation heroes. This heart-warming story describes how Ajax was trained to be one of the very few kea detection dogs in the world and tells of his various escapades in the unpredictable wilds of the steep back-country, including flying in helicopters, working in blizzards, heavy rain and dense fog, escaping from angry wasps and sleeping out in the bitter cold. The strong connection between Ajax and Corey has proved vital to their survival and the important work that they do. Ajax is slowing down now and soon his high-country days will be over.

The most complete text and reference on contemporary beef cattle production available. New edition merges current production technology with management and flexible marketing. Text organization reflects the industry: cow-calf (including purebred herds), stocker or growing phase, and the feedlot or finishing phase. Explains scientific basis of beef production. Describes proven management techniques for efficient production.

Mason's World Dictionary of Livestock Breeds, Types and Varieties, now in its sixth edition, has a long history as a reliable and authoritative source of key livestock breed information. Intended as a list of livestock names and synonyms for breeds, groups, types and varieties worldwide, the dictionary aims to include all names found in the literature, 'defining' each breed or type with a brief indication of identifying characteristics, uses and source of origin. Expanded into a new edition, this established and trusted resource: Extends coverage to include yak and camelids in addition to the existing cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, horses, asses and water buffalo.Features well over 10,000 entries and cross-references on breeds, sub-breeds, types, varieties, strains and lines of species.Covers newly created and now-recognised local breeds documented over the past two decades. An important updated work, Mason's Dictionary forms a useful reference for livestock breeders and academics interested in breeds, as well as national and international organizations with interests in livestock.

Award-winning author Temple Grandin is famous for her groundbreaking approach to decoding animal behaviour. Now she extends her expert guidance to small-scale farming operations. Grandin's fascinating explanations of how herd animals think -- describing their senses, fears, instincts, and memories -- and how to analyze their behaviour, will help you handle your livestock more safely and effectively. You'll learn to become a skilled observer of animal movement and behaviour, and detailed illustrations will help you setup simple and efficient facilities for managing a small herd of 3 to 25 cattle or pigs, or 5 to 100 goats or sheep.

When we consider modern American animal advocacy, we often think of veganism, no-kill shelters, Internet campaigns against trophy hunting, or celebrities declaring that they would "rather go naked" than wear fur. Contemporary critics readily dismiss animal protectionism as a modern secular movement that privileges animals over people. Yet the movement's roots are deeply tied to the nation's history of religious revivalism and social reform. The Gospel of Kindness explores the broad cultural and social influence of the American animal welfare movement at home and overseas from the Second Great Awakening to the Second World War. Dedicated primarily to laboring animals at its inception in an animal-powered world, the movement eventually included virtually all areas of human and animal interaction. Embracing animals as brethren through biblical concepts of stewardship, a diverse coalition of temperance groups, teachers, Protestant missionaries, religious leaders, civil rights activists, policy makers, and anti-imperialists forged an expansive transnational "gospel of kindness," which defined animal mercy as a signature American value. Their interpretation of this "gospel" extended beyond the New Testament to preach kindness as a secular and spiritual truth. As a cultural product of antebellum revivalism, reform, and the rights revolution of the Civil War era, animal kindness became a barometer of free moral agency, higher civilization, and assimilation. Yet given the cultural, economic, racial, and ethnic diversity of the United States, its empire, and other countries of contact, standards of kindness and cruelty were culturally contingent and potentially controversial. Diverse constituents defended specific animal practices, such as cockfighting, bullfighting, songbird consumption, and kosher slaughter, as inviolate cultural traditions that reinforced their right to self-determination. Ultimately, American animal advocacy became a powerful humanitarian ideal, a barometer of inclusion and national belonging at home and abroad that endures to this day.

The updated bestselling guide to laid-back beekeeping for all, naturally! Are you a beginner beekeeper curious about bees or a practicing beekeeper looking for natural alternatives that work? Then this book is for you! In the second edition of the bestselling beekeeping guide Keeping Bees with a Smile, Fedor Lazutin, one of Europe's most successful natural beekeepers, shares the bee-friendly approach to apiculture that is fun, healthful, rewarding, and accessible to all. This new edition includes dozens of color photographs, new hive management techniques, and an updated version of "Lazutin hive" plans. Additional coverage includes: Keeping bees naturally without interfering in their lives Starting an apiary for free by attracting local bee swarms Building low-maintenance hives that mimic how bees live in nature Keeping colonies healthy and strong without any drugs, sugar, or gimmickry Helping bees to overwinter successfully even in harsh climates Enhancing local nectar plant resources Producing truly natural honey without robbing the bees Reversing the global bee decline... right in your backyard! Keeping Bees with a Smile is an invaluable resource for apiculture beginners and professionals alike, complete with plans for making bee-friendly, well-insulated horizontal hives with extra-deep frames, plus other fascinating beekeeping advice you won't find anywhere else.

AS SEEN ON BBC TWO'S HIT TV-SHOW 'THIS FARMING LIFE' 'A heartwarming tale of life on the land' Alan Titchmarsh 'There's love and loss, challenge and adversity, but above all it's warm, insightful and inspiring' Helen Skelton 'Will inspire any reader to look at the countryside - and all those who work there - with newfound appreciation' Jimmy Doherty 'Uplifting, charming and beautifully written' Adam Henson Emma Gray was just twenty-three when she moved to an isolated farm in Northumberland, becoming Britain's youngest solo shepherdess. In the seasons that followed, Emma fell in love with its rolling fields, surrounding forest and sturdy farmhouse, tending her sheep and training her dogs - and even found romance. But when Emma finds herself suddenly alone again, heartbroken and recovering from a serious accident, she wonders if her isolated existence is still such a sensible idea. Even if she recovers, how could she make a proper living on Fallowlees Farm? In her heartwarming book, Emma tells the story of how she picked herself up and expanded her cattle herd, added more horses to her menagerie, and became one of the country's most successful breeders and trainers of Border Collies - unexpectedly discovering true love and lasting happiness along the way. Written with warmth and humour, My Farming Life is a joyous celebration of nature and community, and a delight for anyone who's ever dreamed of living closer to the countryside.

In the 1970s, scientists claimed that farm animal breeding was finally evolving from an art into a science. In their view, the switch to scientific breeding was as inevitable as the ongoing process of agricultural modernization. However, the art-to-science scenario is too simplistic to do justice to the complex dynamic that characterized the transformation of the field. The livestock breeds that take centre stage in this book - dairy cattle, chickens, pigs, sheep, and horses - were products of the twentieth century. The methods used by breeders to improve their animals, however, were much older. Tracing the history of practical stockbreeding, the role of Mendelism in scientific breeding, and the emergence of quantitative genetics, Beauty or Statistics shows that the story of the scientific modernization of livestock breeding can be more fruitfully analysed from the perspective of changing cultures of breeding, taking practical, commercial, normative, and aesthetic considerations into account.

'Britain's finest living nature writer' THE TIMES 'Lewis-Stempel's greatest gift remains his prose, with all its vividness and energy' THE DAILY MAIL 'The hottest nature writer around' THE SPECTATOR At night, the normal rules of Nature do not apply. In the night-wood I have met a badger coming the other way, tipped my cap, said hello. The animals do not expect us humans to be abroad in the dark, which is their time, when the world still belongs to them. That was in winter. The screaming of a tawny owl echoed off the bare trees. For all of our street-lamp civilization, you can still hear the call of the wild. If, if, you go out after the decline of the day... As the human world settles down each evening, nocturnal animals prepare to take back the countryside. Taking readers on four walks through the four seasons, acclaimed nature writer and farmer John Lewis-Stempel reveals a world bursting with life and normally hidden from view. Out beyond the cities, it is still possible to see the night sky full of stars, or witness a moonbow, an arch of white light in the heavens. It is time for us to leave our lairs and go tramping. To join our fellow creatures of the night.