Review
------
Booklist-
"The concept of 'lean' manufacturing originally began during the
1980s in Japanese auto factories, such as those owned by Toyota,
and it embraces a work ethic of eliminating as much waste as
possible to give consumers the best value for their purchase.
Using his own Clay Bottom Farm in Indiana as a proving ground,
Hartman adapted this lean philosophy to support a thriving
business, growing and selling enough specialty produce to support
himself and his wife by harvesting only a single acre of land. In
this lucidly written, well-organized guidebook, Hartman lays out
the fundamentals of lean farming for any grower hoping to follow
his example, from limiting materials and transportation needs to
more efficiently using staff member talents. Along with many
useful charts and photos, Hartman includes 10 case studies from
his own farm, illustrating how trimming away unneeded practices
led to big production gains. Although Hartman's target audience
here is , small-scale growers, anyone involved in a larger
agribusiness owned operation will find his advice remarkably
useful and ultimately very profitable."
"Ben Hartman is diversified farming's Dean of Lean. He walks the
talk, sharing ins on how lean principles helped his farm and
how they can help yours. 'Lean' is the epitome of efficiency, an
essential ingredient of any successful farm."--Richard Wiswall,
author of The Farmer's Business Handbook
"With lean principles, what's good for the farm is even better
for the farmer. As we invite new farmers back to the land, into
vacant lots, and onto rooftops, we have to give them the tools
for success and the ability to sustain. 'Lean farming' won't
leave you trying to turn a farm into an automotive factory, but
you will get a whiff of what it means when the rubber hits the
road."--Philip Ackerman-Leist, author of Rebuilding the Foodshed
"Farming is not just a business, but it's still a business, and
Hartman's application of Toyota's efficiency principles to the
farm is nothing short of profound. As I read this fantastic book,
my mind literally skipped from procedure to place on our farm
with new ideas on how to create efficiencies. The Lean Farm
should be dissected, digested, and discussed--then applied--on
every single farm: big or small, wholesale or retail, livestock
or produce. It would make all farms more profitable, productive,
and pleasurable."--Joel Salatin, owner of Polyface Farm, author
of You Can Farm and Folks, This Ain't Normal
"Anyone who thinks lean is only for a factory should read this
book. Ben Hartman, with simple but eloquent prose and delightful
figures and photos, demonstrates how all aspects of lean can
apply to farming, a process of growing and selling living things.
The mysterious uniqueness of farming under constantly changing
conditions became clear as Ben learned to understand his
customers and his value streams to increase value and eliminate
waste. And lean reinforced, rather then replaced, the strong
social values of the Hartman farm."--Jeffrey Liker, author of The
Toyota Way
"Farmers are good at farming--it is what they enjoy doing! At the
same time, planning, organizing, and working out everything most
efficiently is often not done as easily. The Lean Farm will help
us all easily increase flow, production, and income. It is a
treasure trove of possibilities without the need for increased
investment!"--John Jeavons, author of How to Grow More
Vegetables, executive director of Ecology Action, and developer
of sustainable, biologically intensive mini-farming
"If you want to see, right now, what food farming will look like
in the coming years, this is the book for you. Using the kind of
super-efficiency that new-age manufacturing has perfected, author
Ben Hartman describes, in great detail and with superb
illustrations, how he and his wife reduced their farm size from
three acres to one and still make a decent living on it."--Gene
Logsdon, author, The Contrary Farmer
"We give every new employee a copy of Ben's writing to study.
Adopting lean principles has been critical for bringing
organization, focus, and harmony to our 100-acre fully
diversified vegetable farm. 'A place for every thing, and every
thing in its place' is a refrain we repeat over and over."--Pete
Johnson, farmer and owner of Pete's Greens, Craftsbury,
Vermont
"Clay Bottom Farm is a gem of a place in northern Indiana, where
we are repeatedly told that you need a thousand acres to make a
living as a farmer. Ben Hartman and his wife Rachel disprove this
'conventional wisdom' every day by managing a thriving farm
business, not on a thousand acres, but on just one. In The Lean
Farm, Ben explains how their elegant approach can be applied by
anyone. His writing, like his farm, is clean, well organized, and
easy to follow--but his ideas are revolutionary. The Lean Farm is
one of the most original and innovative books on food and farming
to come out in the last decade."--Steve Hallett, Professor of
Horticulture, Purdue University, and author of Life without Oil
and The Efficiency Trap
About the Author
----------------
Ben Hartman grew up on a corn and soybean farm in
Indiana and graduated college with degrees in English and
philosophy. Ben and his wife, Rachel Hershberger, own and operate
Clay Bottom Farm in Goshen, Indiana, where they make their living
growing and selling specialty crops on less than one acre. Their
food is sold locally to restaurants and cafeterias, at a farmers
market, and through a community-supported-agriculture (CSA)
program. The farm has twice won Edible Michiana s Reader s Choice
award.