Would you be prepared if you needed to survive in the wilderness? Survival expert Creek Stewart shares his cache of practical, easy-to-follow tricks to help you transform everyday items into valuable gear that can save your life. Survival Hacks takes you step-by-step through transforming simple objects like soda tabs and plant leaves into essential survival tools.

Should a national disaster occur, how will you respond? What will occur when critical societal services cease to function? As a prepper, you will likely be ready to hole up and live off of your stored supplies, at least for a while. But what do you do during that time? What are your next steps? And how do you defend yourself against others who have not prepared for such a disaster?

Survival covers all the situations that you may face when the lack of governmental infrastructure leads to social upheaval and chaos. Because most of the population is unprepared for a disaster of any kind, this book gives both the trained and untrained prepper valuable information needed to have any chance of survival in a world where organized government assistance may not be available. Importantly, it details the crucial steps you need to take in addition to doing everything other survival manuals advise. These critical tips go beyond stockpiling food, water, and weapons.

Offering battle-proven advice, author Steve Mattoon explores what it takes to survive alone versus in groups, each approach presenting its own advantages and challenges. Discover how best to defend yourself, what to use, and how to most effectively use the tools you have at your disposal. Whether you find yourself in a rural area or an urban jungle, this book will prove an essential addition to any prepper’s bug-out bag.

Swarming is a powerful instinct, one that most successful beekeepers have encountered by their second year. Swarm Essentials outlines the ramifications of swarming behavior (highlighting the often overlooked benefits), proven management techniques, and how to recover and even prosper from a successful swarm attempt. Author Stephen J. Repasky's inaugural publication marks the latest addition to the Essentials series from Wicwas Press and is an excellent read for any beekeeper who hopes to make it past their first year.

Award-winning author Temple Grandin is famous for her groundbreaking approach to decoding animal behavior. Now she extends her expert guidance to small-scale farming operations. Grandin’s fascinating explanations of how to analyze herd animals’ behavior and of how to understand how they think — (describing their senses, fears, instincts, and memories) — will help you handle your livestock more safely and effectively. You’ll learn to become a skilled observer of animal movement and behavior, and detailed illustrations will help you set up simple and efficient facilities for managing a small herd of 3 to 25 cattle or pigs, or 5 to 100 goats or sheep.

Texas Bug Book is your complete guide for identifying and organically controlling all of the most common Texas insects. Drawing on years of practical experience and research, organic gardening experts Howard Garrett and Malcolm Beck give detailed instructions on how to identify, understand the life cycle of, and control or protect Texas insects, mites, snails, slugs, nematodes and other critters. They also include striking color photos and black-and-white drawings to help you identify each bug. Garrett and Beck highlight the many useful roles that bugs play in nature and offer proven organic remedies for infestations of pest insects.

Beautiful New Paperback with over 150 illustrations tells the story of how grain storage began and elevators were invented. Includes sections on a variety materials used in the mid-west from the 1800s to today with many historic photos and 86 full color examples of these wonderful and fascinating buildings that are integral to our farm heritage.

About the author
Linda Laird was born and raised in Wichita, Kansas. She was always fascinated with the shapes of the grain elevators that define the horizon in that flat place. She became a historic preservation consultant and community planner, moved back to Kansas and married a John Deere loving, ex-farmboy from rural Reno County.

In 1992 the Kansas state legislature revised the tax code to include taxing the historic wooden elevators used primarily for storage or remaining empty. Many of the oldest wood frame elevators have been torn down or burned since then to avoid taxes. Laird and her husband, Larry Haney, were determined to at least photographically document each elevator in Kansas before the destruction was complete. They were encouraged by The James Marsden Fitch Charitable Trust, a New York foundation that provides mid-career grants to historic preservation projects. The grant allowed them to travel through the mid-west researching and photographing elevators in a multi-state area. This book is a product of that grant.

The original goal of photographing all of the elevators in Kansas was achieved in 2003 when over 1200 elevators had been photographed and documented in a searchable index. It is now possible for the first time to write a history of grain elevators in the state.

Laird's next book will focus on the historic significance of the documented elevators with attention to the various architectural styles and materials used in the continuous development of Kansas elevators.

The Backyard Beekeeper, now in its 4th edition, makes the time-honored and complex tradition of beekeeping an enjoyable and accessible backyard pastime that will appeal to urban and rural beekeepers of all skill levels. More than a guide to beekeeping, this handbook features expert advice for: - Setting up and caring for your own colonies - The best location to place your new bee colonies for their safety and yours - The most practical and nontoxic ways to care for your bees - Swarm control - Using top bar hives - Harvesting the products of a beehive and collecting and using honey - Bee problems and treatments What's New? - Information for Urban Bees and Beekeepers - Using Your Smoker the Right Way - Better Pest Management - Providing Consistent and Abundant Good Food - Keeping Your Hives Healthy With this complete resource and the expert advice of Bee Culture editor Kim Flottum, your bees will be healthy, happy, and more productive.

With just a quarter acre of land, you can feed a family of four with fresh, organic food year-round. The Backyard Homestead is a comprehensive guide to self-sufficiency that gives you all the information you need to grow and preserve a variety of vegetables, fruits, herbs, nuts, and grains; keep chickens for eggs and meat; raise cows, sheep, and goats for meat or milk; raise pigs and rabbits; and keep honeybees. Simple instructions make it easy to enjoy canned, frozen, dried, and pickled produce all winter; use your own grains to make bread, pasta, and beer; turn fresh milk into delicious homemade yogurt, butter, and cheese; make your own wine, cordials, and herbal teas; and much more. It truly is possible to eat entirely from your backyard. Want a companion planner book, too? The Backyard Homestead Seasonal Planner offers expert advice on what tasks to do around your farm and when to do them — no matter where on the planet you call home. Author Ann Larkin Hansen sets the priorities for each area of the farm, including the barn, garden, orchard, field, pasture, and woodlot. For every critical turn of the year (12 in all), Hansen provides an at-a-glance to-do list along with tips and a more in-depth discussion of key topics for the season. Easy-reference charts, checklists, and record-keeping sections help you keep track of it all.

This hardworking addition to the best-selling Backyard Homestead series offers expert advice on what tasks to do around your farm and when to do them — no matter where on the planet you call home. Author Ann Larkin Hansen sets the priorities for each area of the farm, including the barn, garden, orchard, field, pasture, and woodlot. For every critical turn of the year (12 in all), Hansen provides an at-a-glance to-do list along with tips and a more in-depth discussion of key topics for the season. Easy-reference charts, checklists, and record-keeping sections help you keep track of it all.

Detailed instructions for making candles, furniture polish, beauty products and nearly 100 honey-themed recipes are included. Fully illustrated with how-to photography and unique etchings, The Beekeeper's Bible will provide any backyard enthusiast or gardener with the confidence to dive into beekeeping (or simply daydream about harvesting their own honey while relaxing in the comfort of an armchair).