Resources for information on organic farming/ranching?

[bweible]

In the next few years, I would like to get a small homestead and raise organic livestock. We live in town, are fairly new to organic living, and have a lot to learn. Can someone direct me to some organizations or reading material for the beginner where I can learn more about what I should plan for in raising livestock organically? I certainly don't want to bite off more than I can chew. Thank you for any info.

[Bluestem]

There is a lot of information out there. These are some of the sites I save on my favorites. www.noble.org www.soilfoodweb.com www.attra.ncat.org

[Robert D Bard]

Also add Acres USA www.acresusa.com monthly news paper, Stockman Grass Farmer with some organics and some conventional but with great info on grass farming and animals I think www.stockmangrassfarmer.com
Also Salad Bar Beef by Joel Salatin is a must. He covers beef, chicken and hogs and a bunch of great info.
Robert D Bard

[Dchall_San_Antonio]

Then there's always Holistic Resource Management at http://www.holisticmanagement.org/index.cfm?cfid=291733&cftoken=48532532 as well as Holistic Resource Managment of Texas at http://www.hrm-texas.org/.

We mustn't forget Managing Wholes at http://managingwholes.com/index.php

While none of those are organic by design, most (if not all) of the practitioners choose to be organic whether they are certified or not. Be sure you check out the library sections. Then there's always...

Arizona has a great archive of old issues of the Journal of Range Management at http://jrm.library.arizona.edu/index.php

The Kerr Center in Oklahoma has this resource at http://www.kerrcenter.com/

Pasture Management at http://www.pasturemanagement.com/

Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) at http://wsare.usu.edu/index.htm

Red Canyon Ranch is an interesting read at http://www.tncwyoming.org/where/redcanyon.shtml

The basically organic reclamation of mining slag heaps from strip mines in the Arizona desert is completely fascinating ... http://website.lineone.net/~s.ward/MIN/98Aug/Cattle.html

Read about dung beetles down on the page at http://insects.tamu.edu/extension/newsletters/news2000/bcn/bcn_wintr1999.html

Here's a ranch in Fredricksburg where they are certified organic for cattle and chickens. They are nice folks and willing to talk except that they are holding down 4 full times jobs at once... http://homesteadhealthyfoods.com/who.asp He will tell you that chickens is where the money is!$!$!$

After you've finished reading everything on all these sites, you'll be ready to retire.

[bweible]

Thank you all for your suggestions! This has been much more productive than the web searches I've tried on my own.

[Tony M]

Thanks everyone for the great references. You can also try http://www.goodearthorganicfarm.com/

Paul and Lynn Magedson are the owners/operators of Good Earth Organic Farm. The farm has been in the makings since Paul purchased the property some 20 years ago.

Both native Texans, Paul and Lynn are working hard towards their goal of owning a diverse and sustainable farm. The day to day chores and improvements keep them busy from dawn to dusk. Scheduling time for family can be challenging with farm needs popping up 24/7.

Paul was born and raised in Dallas and is a licensed Real Estate Inspector. Lynn was born in Ft. Worth and grew up on her parent's dairy farm. Together they care for the farm, two young sons and Paul's mom. They have tours and various ranching type classes available. I have the highest respect for Lynn's knowledge and ability.
Tony M