The Scything Handbook: Learn How to Cut Grass, Mow Meadows and Harvest Grain with a Scythe

Description

The author took scythe teacher training and a mowing course in Austria, the birthplace of the scythe Miller speaks fluent German and was able to research the book using original German texts from the premier Austrian agricultural college Miller has been using the scythe for ten years and has made acres and acres of hay by hand, and grown and harvested small grains by hand Miller describes techniques that allow even backyard gardeners to grow their year's supply of small grains Covered in The Wall Street Journal , the scythe has taken pole position in the tool shed of the hip, modern homesteader Miller offers beginning concepts and advanced techniques for using the scythe for haying and growing small grains of the highest quality and to do so without an inordinate amount of labor at the family scale The scythe is the ultimate tool for family-scale food production and self-sufficiency The only comprehensive book on how to use the scythe available Anyone with a lawn can make hay. Having a source of free hay opens the door to many possibilities: keeping livestock, mulching, composting

Ian Miller followed a career in music with a degree in Agroecology from UC Santa Cruz. During a two year stint on a biodynamic farm in Austria he learned how to scythe and delved into historic scything texts in German. He has worked for Seed Savers Exchange in Iowa and is developing a 20 acre scythe-based homestead near Decorah, Iowa where he grows his own grain for bread making and makes hay by hand.