Gaining Ground

A Story of Farmers' Markets, Local Food, and Saving the Family Farm

By: Forrest Pritchard

Narrated by: Roger Wayne

Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

One fateful day in 1996, after discovering that five freight cars' worth of glittering corn have reaped a tiny profit of $18.16, young Forrest Pritchard vows to save his family's farm. What ensues - through hilarious encounters with all manner of livestock and colorful local characters - is a crash course in sustainable agriculture. Pritchard's biggest ally is his renegade father, who initially questions his son's career choice and rejects organic foods for sugary mainstream fare. But just when the farm starts to turn heads at local farmers' markets, his father's health takes a turn for the worse. With poetry and humor, this inspiring memoir tugs on your heartstrings and feeds your soul long after you've finished.

©2013 Forrest Pritchard (P)2013 Tantor

Critic reviews

"By the end of his wonderful book, Pritchard lies in a field pondering his own slim margin of success from slowing things down in our fast paced world; a well-deserved moment of happiness for this important new spokesperson of the future of agriculture and poet of the earth." ( Publishers Weekly Starred Review

"Roger Wayne's warm, lively reading of Forrest Pritchard's memoir of saving his family's farm in the Shenandoah Valley is a hopeful and conversational experience.... integrity is heard in Wayne's performance." ( AudioFile)

As a budding farmer, I loved this.

Great for anyone realizing where our food comes from is important, and not all food is equally created, nor all done properly for short or long term goals

Excellent and inspiring!

This was a wonderful story of a small family farm. There were times I belly laughed out loud and rewound to hear the story again. Lord bless Pedro the goat!

Not what I thought it was going to be...

I expected this to be more of a "how to" story with specifics of how the author moved to become a successful small provider of locally sourced food. While it fell dramatically short on my expectation, the story was interesting and valuable in its own right. I had no challenges finishing as the narration was top notch and the story compelling.

From the heart.

This book is very much told from this man's heart very well written.
I for one i'm super glad that this farmer was an english major. What an enjoyable book me and my wife will definitely be visiting his farm.

Amazing book!

Very inspiring and gave me a new hope for my ranch. I have now ordered a paper copy. This is a must read book for anyone in agriculture.

Will Make you lough, cry, and shake your fist.

What a wiled ride! A great story worth telling. My wife and three kids were glued to our little speaker in the living groom.

A really great book

One of the best books I have listen to in a long while. The story is compelling. It appeals to the heart and mind.

great read. well told. great narrator.

very impressed with author. enjoyable and inspiring. presented his points of view of food industry in an agreeable way.

Even if you aren’t a farmer, this book is interesting

An account of saving of a farm. Using the sun, muscle, and determination. Also highlights how buying food from your farmer supports a healthy land,
Community, and also is a real change. One less truck on the freeway, one less big shot in the boardroom thinking about where his next vacation home should be built. Thanks for telling your story. It’s real, raw and inspiring.

Pedro

An honest tale about the journey from commodity ranching. If you have any sort of background in agriculture you will able to relate to this story. There are parts that will make you laugh, make you want to bury your face in your hands and some that make you think about where the food production system is in today. By far the best is the story about Pedro, hang in there its worth it!