Ben Hartman - The Lean Farm

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Chelsea Green Publishing
White River Junction, Vermont

Copyright 2015 by Ben Hartman.
All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise noted, all photographs by Clay Bottom Farm.
Illustrations by Emma Gerigscott.

No part of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form by any means without permission in writing from the publisher.

Project Manager: Bill Bokermann
Project Editor: Benjamin Watson
Copy Editor: Alice Colwell
Proofreader: Helen Walden
Indexer: Lee Lawton
Designer: Melissa Jacobson

Printed in the United States of America.
First printing August, 2015.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 15 16 17 18

Our Commitment to Green Publishing
Chelsea Green sees publishing as a tool for cultural change and ecological stewardship. We strive to align our book manufacturing practices with our editorial mission and to reduce the impact of our business enterprise in the environment. We print our books and catalogs on chlorine-free recycled paper, using vegetable-based inks whenever possible. This book may cost slightly more because it was printed on paper that contains recycled fiber, and we hope youll agree that its worth it. Chelsea Green is a member of the Green Press Initiative ( www.greenpressinitiative.org ), a nonprofit coalition of publishers, manufacturers, and authors working to protect the worlds endangered forests and conserve natural resources. The Lean Farm was printed on paper supplied by QuadGraphics that contains at least 10% postconsumer recycled fiber.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hartman, Ben, 1978- author.

The lean farm : how to minimize waste, increase efficiency, and maximize value and profits with less work / Ben Hartman ; illustrations by Emma Gerigscott.

pages cm

Other title: How to minimize waste, increase efficiency, and maximize value and profits with less work

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-60358-592-7 (pbk.) ISBN 978-1-60358-593-4 (ebook)

1. AgricultureWaste minimization. 2. Lean manufacturing. I. Title. II. Title: How to minimize waste, increase efficiency, and maximize value and profits with less work.

TD930.H37 2015
628'.746dc23

2015015957

Chelsea Green Publishing
85 North Main Street, Suite 120
White River Junction, VT 05001
(802) 295-6300
www.chelseagreen.com

Acknowledgments

This book would not have been possible without contributions from many people. First, I thank Steve Brenneman, CEO and founder of Aluminum Trailer Company, Nappanee, Indiana, and a Clay Bottom Farm customer, who introduced us to lean concepts and who generously consulted with us for several years as we steadily implemented lean on our farm.

In October 2014 I met in Chicago with Susanne Pejstrup, a lean coach from Denmark who for many years has worked with farmers in Scandinavia, other parts of Europe, and Asia to implement lean systems on their farms. She described to me lean systems in use on these farms and contributed photos that enrich this book. Thank you.

Likewise, I thank the farmers who contributed photos and allowed me to interview them about how they employ lean: Pete Johnson at Petes Greens, Craftsbury, Vermont; Randy Ewert at Bair Lane Farm, Marcellus, Michigan; and Steve Lecklider at Lehmans Orchard, Niles, Michigan, among others. The diversity and success of their operations is living proof that lean concepts can benefit all types and sizes of farms.

I thank Lynn Byczynski, author and editor/publisher of Growing for Market magazine, for her encouragement to publish this book. Her indispensable magazine is a constant drumbeat of improvement ideas, many of which we have implemented on our farm.