Meat and Greet: Sustainable Ranching in Kansas

On January 26th, you can celebrate Kansas Day at Lawrence Public Library by meeting Kansas ranchers practicing the art of sustainable animal husbandry!  Free tasting portions of beef, elk, turkey and buffalo will be provided by Local Burger.  In the meantime, beef up on your reading by checking out these recommendations by Hilary Brown of Local Burger:

All Flesh is Grass: The Pleasures and Promises of Pasture Farming by Gene Logsdon
Amid consumer concerns about how farm animals are bred, “contrary farmer” Gene Logsdon explains historically effective grazing practices and new techniques that have blossomed during the past decade.

Deeply Rooted: Unconventional Farmers in the Age of Agribusiness by Lisa Hamilton
Hamilton looks for solutions to a problematic food system by looking to a few of the people who actually grow our food: an African-American dairyman in Texas, a tenth-generation rancher in New Mexico, and a modern pioneer family in North Dakota.

Folks, This Ain’t Normal: A Farmer’s Advice  for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World by Joel Salatin
Acclaimed agrarian Joel Salatin discusses how far removed we are from the simple, sustainable joy that comes from living close to the land and the people we love.

 Grass-Fed Cattle: How to Produce and Market Natural Beef by Julius Reuchel
Cattle are wonderfully adept at converting grass into meat, fat and milk.  Here, Reuchel offers complete information on running a profitable, environmentally sustainable farm based on the efficiency of cattle and grass.

Holy Shit: Managing Manure to Save Mankind by Gene Logsdon
Logsdon provides the inside story of manure — our greatest, yet most misunderstood, natural resource.  A fresh, fascinating and entertaining look at an earthy, but absolutely crucial, subject.

The Last of the Husbandmen: A Novel of Farming Life by Gene Logsdon
A personal depiction of the personal triumphs and tragedies, clashes and compromises, and abiding human character of American farming families.

Real Food: What to Eat and Why by Nina Planck
Hailed as the “patron saint of famers’ markets,” here Planck suggests that ancient foods like beef and butter have been falsely accused, while industrial foods like corn syrup have created an epidemic of obesity and heart disease.

The Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice and Sustainability by Lierre Keith
Part memoir, nutritional primer, and political manifesto, this controversial examination exposes the destructive history of agriculture and asserts that, in order to save the planet, food must come from within living communities.