Best Agriculture Books of 2025

Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond is a Pulitzer Prize-winning book that presents a comprehensive narrative of human history, debunking racist theories and revealing the environmental factors responsible for the broadest patterns. Diamond examines why Eurasians conquered, displaced, or decimated Native Americans, Australians, and Africans, instead of the reverse. The book offers an insightful analysis of the developmental paths of human societies, their differing fates, and how the modern world, and its inequalities, came to be. This artful, informative, and delightful book is a major landmark in our understanding of human societies and culture.

Storey's Guide to Raising Beef Cattle, 4th Edition, is a comprehensive reference book for farmers raising one cow or a herd. Heather Smith Thomas, a long-time cattle rancher and author, provides expert guidance on every aspect of bovine behavior, including breed selection, calving, feeding, housing, pasture, and health care. The book also offers valuable advice on creating a viable business plan and identifying niche markets for selling beef. The book's unique feature is its in-depth information on raising grass-fed animals. Overall, this book is an essential reference manual for anyone raising beef cattle and should be on every farmer's shelf.

Holistic Goat Care is a comprehensive guide to raising and maintaining a healthy herd of goats. The book covers all aspects of goat care, including nutritional and psychological needs, identifying and treating ailments, and developing good farm management practices. Gianaclis Caldwell's emphasis on holistic, natural, and alternative approaches to caring for goats makes this book a must-read for both novice and experienced goat owners. The book is practical, well-written, and offers a depth of insight and approaches to treatment not found in any other book. Overall, Holistic Goat Care is an essential read for anyone looking to raise healthy goats.

What Your Food Ate by David R. Montgomery and Anne Biklé explores the connection between the health of the soil, crops, livestock, and human beings. The authors argue that the health of the soil is the key to producing nutrient-dense food that can protect us from chronic ailments. They also show how conventional agricultural practices undermine this vital partnership between soil and crops. Montgomery and Biklé offer a roadmap for regenerative farming practices that can heal sick soil and improve human health. This book is a must-read for anyone concerned about the modern epidemic of chronic diseases and climate change.

Restoration Agriculture offers a unique solution to the eradicating agriculture system by presenting an alternative that imitates nature's form and function. The author explains how natural, perennial ecosystems can provide for our food, building, fuel, and other needs while still benefiting the environment. This book is based on real-world practices, making it an excellent guide for anyone interested in creating sustainable agricultural systems. Acres U.S.A. has done an exceptional job of presenting the information in an easy-to-understand manner, making it accessible to a wide range of readers.

An Illustrated Guide to Pruning, Third Edition, is a comprehensive resource for anyone interested in the pruning and maintenance of trees. The book features updated illustrations, photographs, and examples, making it easy for readers to understand and implement the appropriate pruning practices. It covers a variety of topics, including disease prevention, root pruning, mature tree pruning, and restoration following storms. The author, Dr. Gilman, is a professor in the Environmental Horticulture Department at the University of Florida, and his expertise shines through in this well-written and easy-to-understand guide. Overall, this book is a must-have for horticulture, landscape, and tree associations and industries, and a natural addition for botanic garden and arboreta bookstores.

Holistic Management, Third Edition: A Commonsense Revolution to Restore Our Environment is a paradigm-changing book that offers a new approach to managing resources to restore the environment. Allan Savory, the co-founder of the Savory Institute, argues that mismanagement of resources is the bigger problem behind climate change and desertification. Savory's long-anticipated new edition is written for ranchers, farmers, eco- and social entrepreneurs, and development professionals. This book provides a new hope that a sustainable future for humankind and the world is within reach.

Building Beehives For Dummies is a comprehensive guide to building some of the world's most popular hives and beekeeping equipment. The book includes detailed materials lists, step-by-step building instructions, and illustrative drawings that show how the components all fit together. There are over a dozen plans in all, including the traditional Langstroth hive, the eight frame garden hive, the Warre hive, and more. The book also provides introductory chapters that teach basic carpentry skills necessary to build any of the plans in the book. Whether you are a new beekeeper or a seasoned ol’timer, Building Beehives for Dummies provides you with the information you need to plan and succeed at building beehives and other cool accessories.

Backyard Poultry Medicine and Surgery, Second Edition is an essential guide for veterinary practitioners that provides practical information on the diagnosis and treatment of poultry. With six new chapters covering radiology, toxicology, euthanasia, gross pathology, behavior, and emergency medicine, the book is a comprehensive guide to all aspects of husbandry, medicine, and surgery for poultry. Diseases are organized by body systems to aid in developing a diagnosis, and the book supports both occasional and regular practitioners. The addition of new chapters and color photographs makes this book a valuable resource for avian veterinarians and those who rarely treat these species.

The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer is an excellent guide for those who want to grow and market organic medicinal Western herbs. Written by successful small-scale herb farmers Jeff and Melanie Carpenter, the book covers everything from cultivation to value-added products and marketing. The authors also provide detailed plant profiles for fifty herbs, including calendula, echinacea, and peppermint. What sets this book apart is its focus on quality over quantity and its emphasis on producing herbs domestically. The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer is a comprehensive and practical resource for anyone interested in growing medicinal herbs.