After years of working at the ends of the earth in human rights and development, Brent Preston and his wife were die-hard city dwellers. But when their second child arrived, the shine came off urban living. In 2003 they bought a hundred acres and a rundown farmhouse and set out to build a real farm, one that would sustain their family, nourish their community, heal their environment, and turn a profit. The New Farm is Preston’s memoir of a decade of grinding toil and perseverance. Farming is a complex and precarious business, and they made plenty of mistakes along the way. But as they learned how to grow food, and to succeed at the business of farming, they also found that a small, sustainable, organic farm could be an engine for change, a path to a more just and sustainable food system. Today, The New Farm supplies top restaurants, supports community food banks, hosts events with leading chefs, and grows extraordinary produce. Told with humor and heart, The New Farm is a joy, a passionate book by an important new voice.
Praise
“A must-read story told with honesty, humor, and humility by a passionate farmer who reminds us what our food system can and should be about.”Daniel Boulud
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“Preston uses brilliant storytelling and brutal honesty to describe what it takes to create both a viable organic farm and a more meaningful life for himself and his family. The New Farm is the kind of book that will inspire people to make positive change.”Arianna Huffington
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“An inspiring, galloping story of a farm that works—for everyone.”author of How to Cook Everything, Mark Bittman
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“A terrific book. This city-slickers-struggle-to-become-farmers tale turns out to be so much more. Brent Preston recognizes that ‘food is everything’ and offers proof that individuals working small plots of land can transform that very food, which we rely on for our health and happiness. The New Farm is a compelling memoir, told in a fresh, original voice, about what matters most in life.”Michael Ruhlman
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“Both a book about the food system and a tell-all of his journey. . . . The ups, and mostly downs, he describes might have been a trial but they do make for a good read.”The Globe and Mail
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"A great gift for anyone interested in how their food is raised. … [Preston] is a gifted writer with a fully intact sense of humor, so the story rolls right along. … If we are ever to find a real alternative to the devastations of industrial agriculture, Mr. Preston’s is exactly the kind of voice we need to hear.”The Wall Street Journal
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