Why I Farm: Risking It All for a Life on the Land

Literary Nonfiction. Environmental Studies. Third-generation farmer Gary Romano, owner of Sierra Valley Farms, speaks from experience about today's most vital issues: how to live with purpose and how to protect our food supply. In WHY I FARM: RISKING IT ALL FOR A LIFE ON THE LAND, Romano documents a disappearing way of life and issues a wake-up call, describing his metamorphosis from a small boy growing up on a farm to an adult white-collar worker and his ultimate return to the land. If you've ever wanted to claim a patch of earth, this book offers hard-earned counsel about small farming in the twenty-first century. Part memoir, part call to action, Romano details the challenges and joys of living off the land, what's at stake, and why this way of life must be protected for the next wave of future farmers.

After a childhood spent pulling weeds and planting seeds, Gary Romano received a master's degree in recreation administration from California State University, Chico, and worked as a park ranger and county park administrator before returning to the farm. He is the author of WHY I FARM: RISKING IT ALL FOR A LIFE ON THE LAND (Bona Fide Books, 2013), which is his attempt to educate and enlist farmers and consumers in a call to action.