{"id":50,"date":"2011-08-16T22:54:37","date_gmt":"2011-08-16T22:54:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nortoncreekpress.com\/wordpress\/we_wanted_a_farm\/"},"modified":"2025-06-27T09:58:40","modified_gmt":"2025-06-27T16:58:40","slug":"we_wanted_a_farm","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.nortoncreekpress.com\/wordpress\/back-to-the-land-2\/we_wanted_a_farm\/","title":{"rendered":"We Wanted a Farm"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Back-to-the-Land Adventure by the Author of “Five Acres and Independence”<\/h2>\n
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Buy on Amazon.<\/a>
Compare Prices.<\/a><\/b><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

by M. G. Kains<\/strong><\/p>\n

Norton Creek Press. Revised Edition, October 2008, 172 pages. ISBN 0972177094.<\/em><\/p>\n

Best known for his classic small-farm handbook, Five Acres and Independence,<\/i> M. G. Kains contributed a second gem to back-to-the-land literature: his true-life adventures in We Wanted a Farm.<\/i><\/p>\n

Kains shows how he and his family moved from New York City apartments to a full-fledged farm in easy stages: first to a rented suburban house where they grew a large vegetable garden, then in a purchased suburban house where they concentrated on fruits and berries, and finally on a full-blown farm where they went into fruits and berries in a big way. Kains’ “Don’t quit your day job” approach allowed them to gain experience without betting the farm–not until they were ready.<\/p>\n

First published in 1941, Norton Creek Press is proud to bring this charming book back into print.<\/p>\n

Read the Sample Chapters<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

About M. G. Kains<\/h2>\n
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M. G. Kains<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

M. G. Kains (1868\u20131946) was an American agricultural expert and author with a lasting influence on small-scale farming and self-sufficiency. His most famous contribution, Five Acres and Independence<\/em> (1935), offered practical, experience-based advice for aspiring farmers and homesteaders and went through over 30 printings in its first decade. He also wrote works like We Wanted a Farm<\/em> and Profitable Poultry Production,<\/em> blending accessibility with depth. His focus was on sustainable practices and independence through land stewardship.<\/p>\n

Kains\u2019 enduring impact stems from his ability to simplify agricultural principles into clear, actionable steps, influencing generations of small-scale farmers. His writings remain relevant, providing timeless strategies for self-reliant living. Through a combination of practical insight and a commitment to empowering individuals, Kains was a pivotal figure in the movement toward sustainable agriculture.<\/p>\n

Ordering<\/h2>\n

Buy on Amazon<\/a> or see our How to Order<\/a> page.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Back-to-the-Land Adventure by the Author of “Five Acres and Independence” by M. G. Kains Norton Creek Press. Revised Edition, October 2008, 172 pages. ISBN 0972177094. Best known for his classic small-farm handbook, Five Acres and Independence, M. G. Kains contributed a second gem to back-to-the-land literature: his true-life adventures in We Wanted a Farm. … Continue reading “We Wanted a Farm”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":8,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","category-back-to-the-land"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P71zFO-O","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8,"url":"https:\/\/www.nortoncreekpress.com\/wordpress\/back-to-the-land-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":50,"position":0},"title":"Back to the Land","author":"Robert Plamondon","date":"August 21, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Our line of back-to-the-land books includes three books: Ten Acres Enough, Gold in the Grass, and We Wanted a Farm. These are entertaining, thought-provoking, useful, and provide charming slices of Americana that are impossible to get any other way. Ten Acres Enough by Edmund Morris is a wonderful book, a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Back to the Land"","block_context":{"text":"Back to the Land","link":"https:\/\/www.nortoncreekpress.com\/wordpress\/category\/back-to-the-land\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nortoncreekpress.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/Ten_acres_enough_cover_sm.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":272,"url":"https:\/\/www.nortoncreekpress.com\/wordpress\/back-to-the-land-2\/ten-acres-enough\/","url_meta":{"origin":50,"position":1},"title":"Ten Acres Enough","author":"Robert Plamondon","date":"November 28, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Small-Farm Self-Sufficiency Through High-Quality Produce A Back-to-the-Land Adventure from 1864 By Edmund Morris \"Revived Edition\" Edited by Robert Plamondon Norton Creek Press. ISBN 978-0-9721770-8-5. 176 pages. Ten years after Henry David Thoreau learned how to be a poor farmer, Edmund Morris learned how to be a good one. Ten Acres\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Back to the Land"","block_context":{"text":"Back to the Land","link":"https:\/\/www.nortoncreekpress.com\/wordpress\/category\/back-to-the-land\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nortoncreekpress.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Ten_acres_enough_cover_sm.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":274,"url":"https:\/\/www.nortoncreekpress.com\/wordpress\/back-to-the-land-2\/gold-in-the-grass\/","url_meta":{"origin":50,"position":2},"title":"Gold in the Grass","author":"Robert Plamondon","date":"November 28, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Rags to Riches Through Soil Reclamation and Sustainable Farming by Margaret F. Leatherbarrow Norton Creek Press, 218 pages. ISBN 0972177051. As World War II was ending, Alfred Leatherbarrow, a wounded Canadian veteran, and his nurse, Margaret, fell in love, married, bought their dream farm\u2014and discovered that their crops would not\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Back to the Land"","block_context":{"text":"Back to the Land","link":"https:\/\/www.nortoncreekpress.com\/wordpress\/category\/back-to-the-land\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nortoncreekpress.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/gold_in_the_grass_cover_sm.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":291,"url":"https:\/\/www.nortoncreekpress.com\/wordpress\/how-to-order\/","url_meta":{"origin":50,"position":3},"title":"How to Order","author":"Robert Plamondon","date":"November 29, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Order From Us Of the Dynamic Duo who make up Norton Creek Press, the publishing side and this Website are maintained by me, Robert Plamondon. My wife, Karen Black, serves as our steely-eyed editor and has a secret identity as a seller of fine used books. She sells both our\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":21,"url":"https:\/\/www.nortoncreekpress.com\/wordpress\/poultry\/feeding_poultry\/","url_meta":{"origin":50,"position":4},"title":"Feeding Poultry","author":"Robert Plamondon","date":"March 8, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"The Classic Guide to Poultry Nutrition for Chickens, Turkeys, Ducks, Geese, Gamebirds, and Pigeons by G. F. Heuser 632 pages. ISBN 0972177027. Are you still wasting money on the wrong kinds of poultry feed? Your poultry depend on you to make sound decisions about their health, but the feed industry\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Poultry"","block_context":{"text":"Poultry","link":"https:\/\/www.nortoncreekpress.com\/wordpress\/category\/poultry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nortoncreekpress.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/feeding_poultry_cover_sm1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":46,"url":"https:\/\/www.nortoncreekpress.com\/wordpress\/poultry\/the_dollar_hen\/","url_meta":{"origin":50,"position":5},"title":"The Dollar Hen","author":"Robert Plamondon","date":"July 28, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"The Dollar Hen by Milo Hastings is the classic guide to American Free-Range egg farming. The Dollar Hen shows how to raise eggs using low-density free-range on a mixed-use farm. 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