a blog by students in Dr. Talinn Phillips' "Writing About Culture" courses at Ohio University .
Monday, February 20, 2012
Pollan Response 2
Now that you've read about half of the book, what arguments do you see Pollan making here? Second, how does Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms view his own farm in relationship to "Industrial Agriculture" and "Organic Agriculture"?
In this section Pollan’s main argument is that the way the food industry is run now is not good for our country, even the organic labeled food. After focusing mainly on the beef and usage of corn in the first section, which everyone at least had an idea that those weren’t healthy for us he focuses on organic food. Everyone thinks that organic food is better and grown on small farms that produce healthy food. But in this section Pollan learns/tells us that isn’t true. That organic food is just as much a big business as any other type of food. Pollan says it is this way because there is a big enough demand for organic food now that it can be a big business just like the unhealthy food. The organic farms are also very big and produce food that is shipped all over the U.S. Pollan goes on to subscribe to and encourage the reader to believe in Salatin’s idea that local farms should support the surrounding areas and that we should eat seasonal foods.
Salatin views the way he runs his farm as the way things should be done. Neighbor taking care of neighbor. He uses the way nature was set up to produce for his farm. He lets all his animals and the land to work together to produce the food. He thinks this is way better for the animals, the land and people than the way that big businesses run the food industry. The big businesses don’t take care of the land and animals at all. They kill the land and they don’t respect the animals at all. He believes that not only is their product not as good, but also the way they treat the earth is killing it. He feels that while they may be able to sell their food at a lower price the earth and quality of food are taking a big hit that outweighs the savings in terms of buying food for normal citizens.
Pollan makes many believable arguments throughout Omnivore’s Dilemma. I believe that one of his major points that he is trying to get across is that nothing is natural. Yes, there is organic food out there but obviously processed food overrides all of that. Through his book he has showed us that even the animals that we consume are not natural. They are bred in certain ways and given special medications to grow faster and bigger. Another point that Pollan makes is that are food are central based. As he explained throughout the book, all of our foods most likely have some sort of product made from corn in them. I never realized any of this until reading this book.
Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms, runs a local farm. He believes that the best products are the ones that you can buy right on the farm and do not have to go through processing. He shows us basically the typical way the average American would think every farm is run. In actuality, farms are more industrial now. Salatin does not agree with industrial agriculture because of their techniques of growing crops and raising animals. He thinks that cows should actually eat the grass they were meant to, not the processed corn meal that industrial farmers feed them. If every farm in America were like Salatin’s, then we would all have delicious and healthy food on our plates every night for dinner.
Pollan is trying to make an anti industrial argument, using organic feedlots as an example for how even if we are pursuing organic food there are other issues with our food production. He decries science preferring what he views as good philosophy but that seems wrong to me, it’s not that science invariably leads to ill as he seems to imply but rather that the philosophical lens through which we’re aiming our usage of it is wrong, that is to say that I think it very much has a place in some ideal moral farming. Joel Salatin seems to view his farm as the ideal or near it and industrial agriculture regardless of whether it is organic or not as the wrong in our food production. That’s not to say that he isn’t entirely right that industrial agriculture is obviously a negative effect on our food but it comes back to practicality again. With enough farmers like him we could have something like this ideal that Pollan and Joel seem to be presenting but where are we going to get those. I’m not pessimistically saying that it won’t happen but that if it will it’ll be a long time before we get to that ideal.
Basically The Omnivore’s Dilemma is beginning to take shape and we’re starting to see the picture that Pollan is painting for us. The information about corn and animal abuse that go into making our food needed to fill the opening of the book so that we can finally get to the juicy stuff. Pollan is now getting into the why and how of what the food industry has become. It’s interesting to read about the food history of the world and how the way we eat today has been shaped by people from far back in history; it’s interesting because food history coincides with that of human evolution. What I mean to say is that the way we view food and food as an industry has changed as much as we view the world as a whole; this is part of what Pollan is trying to tell us. Joel Salatin embodies the view of the ancient pre-organic, pre industrial modified food system that we see today. “Beyond organic” is an awesome way that he describes himself, and the way he dealt with Pollan on the phone was so cool to read because it reinforced how much he cares about this subject. When Salatin told Pollan that he would have to come to Virginia to get his chicken because he absolutely objected to shipping it to him, I instantly liked this form of food distribution. The way that Salatin does things is the old way; the way that food making should be done, in its most intimate and natural way. When Pollan finally did get to Salatin’s Polyface Farm it became even more obvious as to how this is how things should be. Everything is clean, outdoors, natural at his farm; free from growth hormones and antibiotics, etc. When we started watching Food Inc. it became even clearer that Salatin despises the entirety of the worlds food views and that his view was the only way. Maybe that sounds like a farm dictator when you think about it, but it also sounds and looks like the kind of food that I would like to have for lunch- even if it is double the price.
Pollan continues his arguments against the corporate food giants of America. The unnatural environments of industrial food separate it greatly from pastoral food. Organic, minimal chemical farming creates a healthier, more world friendly product to consume. While “organic” food my be considered better then industrial, the shipment and packaging processes still waver from the environmentally friendly ideals behind organic farming. Pollan argues that these “organic” food producers understand consumers intentions when they buy organic foods and cater packaging accordingly, often exaggerating the truth about the food. Whole Foods may produce healthier food but it still remains a supermarket. Salatin values his farm as a viable solution to the food crisis. He tries to keep as natural conditions as possible with producing as little waste as possible. Salatin feels that his method of farming produces a more personal relationship with both the crop and the consumer, and ultimately causes a higher quality product to be produced. As a contrast to industrial agriculture, Joel also advocates only local foods be purchased outside of what you can produce yourself.
Pollan talks about the dilemma American’s face everyday in our country’s food culture. He speaks on the benefits of self-sufficiency in growing food for one’s self, or buying at local food departments where everything is fresh and with minimal manipulation to the product. In his perspective, the foods that we receive from our supposedly protective regulatory agencies are flawed. The people are seen as sheep rather than individuals, and therefore a lack of respect for the health of a nation is being neglected. Food is grown faster, and in plenty, with the lives of the people in jeopardy. Joel believes that even though his farm/company is in smaller scale to the Industrial Agriculture, morally, ethically, and health wise it is better. He works with a small team to kill, and prep the animals that are being eaten on a wide scale. Although foods are labeled organic, some still have to be transported great distances and thus, have some type of alterations in the make up. His style of farming is one that is the closest to natural due to it being similar to how our food was prepared in the beginning. After watching Food Inc we do see demonstration of this aspect although the respect for the animal was still lacking. In assembly line fashion, they cut the throats of the chickens, skinned them, and prepared them but the foods they were eating were natural to that animal, juxtaposing the corn that is being force fed to every animal we eat today.
In the later chapters, Polland stresses that organic farming does not necessarily mean sustainable farming. He points out that the huge food corporations, who see farming as a business and have realized that consumers now desire organic foods, have bought up small organic companies and have industrialized them, giving them the “organic” label. But the truth is, these companies still do not treat the animals, the land, and the environment with respect. The animals are still kept pent up in huge food lots, and their waste still spills in to rivers, the only difference is now that are not fed corn meal and antibiotics. Meanwhile, small organic companies, who are sustainable and better to the animals and the environment, cannot compete with the low organic prices of the big food industries. They are then forced to either sell out, or go out of business.
Joel Salatin believes that industrial agriculture is not only not sustainable, but bad for the consumer. He strongly emphasizes how industrial agriculture is not natural and is only in existence because it is cheap and efficient. He believes his practice of allowing his animals to graze freely, using their nutrients to keep the fields of grass lush and healthy, and ultimately forming a completely sustainable system is the true meaning of organic farming. Joel sets out to provide the healthiest food in the most sustainable way, always keeping the animals, environment, and customer in mind while the big food corporations are solely out to make money. He believes the way he farms is the way farming was meant to be done, and should be done.
One main idea that Polland is trying to convey to readers by visiting Joel is to explain the difference between real organic farming and the big food corporations “organic” label. Consumers want to eat healthy, but the system makes it not affordable and therefore not applicable. Farming practice should mirror Joel’s sustainable system of grazing, and consumers need to really think about where their food comes from when they buy it off the shelves.
In chapters 8 through 12, Pollan discusses the pastoral aspect of our food system, mainly focusing on grass. He spends time with Joel Salatin and the crew at Polyface Farms, which is completely pastoral, as opposed to industrial. Pollan spends much time talking about how it is much healthier for us, as a nation, to eat foods, which are grown pastorally, and free of any genetically modified substances/chemicals, as opposed to those which are grown industrially and with additives. Joel Salatin believes that he is putting forth a bit more effort towards producing and growing foods that come from “grass,” which, according to Joel, is the essence of life. Polyface Farms is diversified, as opposed to specialized; meaning, they produce a variety of foods, not just one type. In addition, they are solar powered and sell to a local market, ensuring that their produce and meat is always more fresh than other industrial farms that use fossil energy and sell to a global market. Overall, Salatin believes that he puts in more effort than the average industrial farmer, but that it is worth it and he would have it no other way.
As I progress through Pollan’s book, I see that there is a bit of underlying pessimism after he continues through his challenge. He finds that there is almost no difference between foods labeled “organic” and foods that are not. By the time one gets there food from the store, it has gone through so much processing that it can barely be labeled “food.” The difference between organic and non-organic is a very fine line. Considering that these organic foods have been tested and created in laboratories, almost the same idea as food processing. Joel Salatin found that grocery store companies were rejecting their food at the expense of its organic origins. The stores figure that they don’t want these products in their stores because they’re of less quality and more expensive. So naturally, these organic farmers stopped focusing on the labeling of their product as “organic” so they could contend in this market, so everyone wins. They ignored the difference between organic agriculture and industrial agriculture
In the second part of the reading which was chapters 8 through 12; Polland stresses that organic farming does not necessarily mean that farming is sustainable. In the chapters he points out that farming is a business and that consumers now want to consume organic foods. However because of the desires of people wanting organic foods companies have bought small organic companies and they are no industrialized. These companies are not doing anything different when it comes to the cleanliness of the animals it is described as what we saw in the fill. Where the animals are kept in big houses and there waste just ends up in rivers and they are fed the corn meals. Joel Salatin the one with the Polyface farms (organic farms), thinks that the best products for people are those that you can buy right off the farm itself because it hasn’t gone through a factory before you buy it. It is all natural. Joel Salatin does not agree with industrialising agriculture this is because of the way that the crops are grown and the poor raising of animals. He believe that animals should be able to live free and eat of the land because they grow much better and healther and it is better for us. He talks a lot about how the grass is good for these animals however they are not provided with it.
In this section Pollan’s main argument is that the way the food industry is run now is not good for our country, even the organic labeled food. After focusing mainly on the beef and usage of corn in the first section, which everyone at least had an idea that those weren’t healthy for us he focuses on organic food. Everyone thinks that organic food is better and grown on small farms that produce healthy food. But in this section Pollan learns/tells us that isn’t true. That organic food is just as much a big business as any other type of food. Pollan says it is this way because there is a big enough demand for organic food now that it can be a big business just like the unhealthy food. The organic farms are also very big and produce food that is shipped all over the U.S. Pollan goes on to subscribe to and encourage the reader to believe in Salatin’s idea that local farms should support the surrounding areas and that we should eat seasonal foods.
ReplyDeleteSalatin views the way he runs his farm as the way things should be done. Neighbor taking care of neighbor. He uses the way nature was set up to produce for his farm. He lets all his animals and the land to work together to produce the food. He thinks this is way better for the animals, the land and people than the way that big businesses run the food industry. The big businesses don’t take care of the land and animals at all. They kill the land and they don’t respect the animals at all. He believes that not only is their product not as good, but also the way they treat the earth is killing it. He feels that while they may be able to sell their food at a lower price the earth and quality of food are taking a big hit that outweighs the savings in terms of buying food for normal citizens.
Pollan makes many believable arguments throughout Omnivore’s Dilemma. I believe that one of his major points that he is trying to get across is that nothing is natural. Yes, there is organic food out there but obviously processed food overrides all of that. Through his book he has showed us that even the animals that we consume are not natural. They are bred in certain ways and given special medications to grow faster and bigger. Another point that Pollan makes is that are food are central based. As he explained throughout the book, all of our foods most likely have some sort of product made from corn in them. I never realized any of this until reading this book.
ReplyDeleteJoel Salatin of Polyface Farms, runs a local farm. He believes that the best products are the ones that you can buy right on the farm and do not have to go through processing. He shows us basically the typical way the average American would think every farm is run. In actuality, farms are more industrial now. Salatin does not agree with industrial agriculture because of their techniques of growing crops and raising animals. He thinks that cows should actually eat the grass they were meant to, not the processed corn meal that industrial farmers feed them. If every farm in America were like Salatin’s, then we would all have delicious and healthy food on our plates every night for dinner.
Pollan is trying to make an anti industrial argument, using organic feedlots as an example for how even if we are pursuing organic food there are other issues with our food production. He decries science preferring what he views as good philosophy but that seems wrong to me, it’s not that science invariably leads to ill as he seems to imply but rather that the philosophical lens through which we’re aiming our usage of it is wrong, that is to say that I think it very much has a place in some ideal moral farming. Joel Salatin seems to view his farm as the ideal or near it and industrial agriculture regardless of whether it is organic or not as the wrong in our food production. That’s not to say that he isn’t entirely right that industrial agriculture is obviously a negative effect on our food but it comes back to practicality again. With enough farmers like him we could have something like this ideal that Pollan and Joel seem to be presenting but where are we going to get those. I’m not pessimistically saying that it won’t happen but that if it will it’ll be a long time before we get to that ideal.
ReplyDeleteBasically The Omnivore’s Dilemma is beginning to take shape and we’re starting to see the picture that Pollan is painting for us. The information about corn and animal abuse that go into making our food needed to fill the opening of the book so that we can finally get to the juicy stuff.
ReplyDeletePollan is now getting into the why and how of what the food industry has become. It’s interesting to read about the food history of the world and how the way we eat today has been shaped by people from far back in history; it’s interesting because food history coincides with that of human evolution. What I mean to say is that the way we view food and food as an industry has changed as much as we view the world as a whole; this is part of what Pollan is trying to tell us.
Joel Salatin embodies the view of the ancient pre-organic, pre industrial modified food system that we see today. “Beyond organic” is an awesome way that he describes himself, and the way he dealt with Pollan on the phone was so cool to read because it reinforced how much he cares about this subject. When Salatin told Pollan that he would have to come to Virginia to get his chicken because he absolutely objected to shipping it to him, I instantly liked this form of food distribution. The way that Salatin does things is the old way; the way that food making should be done, in its most intimate and natural way.
When Pollan finally did get to Salatin’s Polyface Farm it became even more obvious as to how this is how things should be. Everything is clean, outdoors, natural at his farm; free from growth hormones and antibiotics, etc. When we started watching Food Inc. it became even clearer that Salatin despises the entirety of the worlds food views and that his view was the only way. Maybe that sounds like a farm dictator when you think about it, but it also sounds and looks like the kind of food that I would like to have for lunch- even if it is double the price.
Pollan continues his arguments against the corporate food giants of America. The unnatural environments of industrial food separate it greatly from pastoral food. Organic, minimal chemical farming creates a healthier, more world friendly product to consume. While “organic” food my be considered better then industrial, the shipment and packaging processes still waver from the environmentally friendly ideals behind organic farming. Pollan argues that these “organic” food producers understand consumers intentions when they buy organic foods and cater packaging accordingly, often exaggerating the truth about the food. Whole Foods may produce healthier food but it still remains a supermarket.
ReplyDeleteSalatin values his farm as a viable solution to the food crisis. He tries to keep as natural conditions as possible with producing as little waste as possible. Salatin feels that his method of farming produces a more personal relationship with both the crop and the consumer, and ultimately causes a higher quality product to be produced. As a contrast to industrial agriculture, Joel also advocates only local foods be purchased outside of what you can produce yourself.
Pollan talks about the dilemma American’s face everyday in our country’s food culture. He speaks on the benefits of self-sufficiency in growing food for one’s self, or buying at local food departments where everything is fresh and with minimal manipulation to the product. In his perspective, the foods that we receive from our supposedly protective regulatory agencies are flawed. The people are seen as sheep rather than individuals, and therefore a lack of respect for the health of a nation is being neglected. Food is grown faster, and in plenty, with the lives of the people in jeopardy. Joel believes that even though his farm/company is in smaller scale to the Industrial Agriculture, morally, ethically, and health wise it is better. He works with a small team to kill, and prep the animals that are being eaten on a wide scale. Although foods are labeled organic, some still have to be transported great distances and thus, have some type of alterations in the make up. His style of farming is one that is the closest to natural due to it being similar to how our food was prepared in the beginning. After watching Food Inc we do see demonstration of this aspect although the respect for the animal was still lacking. In assembly line fashion, they cut the throats of the chickens, skinned them, and prepared them but the foods they were eating were natural to that animal, juxtaposing the corn that is being force fed to every animal we eat today.
ReplyDeleteIn the later chapters, Polland stresses that organic farming does not necessarily mean sustainable farming. He points out that the huge food corporations, who see farming as a business and have realized that consumers now desire organic foods, have bought up small organic companies and have industrialized them, giving them the “organic” label. But the truth is, these companies still do not treat the animals, the land, and the environment with respect. The animals are still kept pent up in huge food lots, and their waste still spills in to rivers, the only difference is now that are not fed corn meal and antibiotics. Meanwhile, small organic companies, who are sustainable and better to the animals and the environment, cannot compete with the low organic prices of the big food industries. They are then forced to either sell out, or go out of business.
ReplyDeleteJoel Salatin believes that industrial agriculture is not only not sustainable, but bad for the consumer. He strongly emphasizes how industrial agriculture is not natural and is only in existence because it is cheap and efficient. He believes his practice of allowing his animals to graze freely, using their nutrients to keep the fields of grass lush and healthy, and ultimately forming a completely sustainable system is the true meaning of organic farming. Joel sets out to provide the healthiest food in the most sustainable way, always keeping the animals, environment, and customer in mind while the big food corporations are solely out to make money. He believes the way he farms is the way farming was meant to be done, and should be done.
One main idea that Polland is trying to convey to readers by visiting Joel is to explain the difference between real organic farming and the big food corporations “organic” label. Consumers want to eat healthy, but the system makes it not affordable and therefore not applicable. Farming practice should mirror Joel’s sustainable system of grazing, and consumers need to really think about where their food comes from when they buy it off the shelves.
In chapters 8 through 12, Pollan discusses the pastoral aspect of our food system, mainly focusing on grass. He spends time with Joel Salatin and the crew at Polyface Farms, which is completely pastoral, as opposed to industrial. Pollan spends much time talking about how it is much healthier for us, as a nation, to eat foods, which are grown pastorally, and free of any genetically modified substances/chemicals, as opposed to those which are grown industrially and with additives. Joel Salatin believes that he is putting forth a bit more effort towards producing and growing foods that come from “grass,” which, according to Joel, is the essence of life. Polyface Farms is diversified, as opposed to specialized; meaning, they produce a variety of foods, not just one type. In addition, they are solar powered and sell to a local market, ensuring that their produce and meat is always more fresh than other industrial farms that use fossil energy and sell to a global market. Overall, Salatin believes that he puts in more effort than the average industrial farmer, but that it is worth it and he would have it no other way.
ReplyDeleteAs I progress through Pollan’s book, I see that there is a bit of underlying pessimism after he continues through his challenge. He finds that there is almost no difference between foods labeled “organic” and foods that are not. By the time one gets there food from the store, it has gone through so much processing that it can barely be labeled “food.” The difference between organic and non-organic is a very fine line. Considering that these organic foods have been tested and created in laboratories, almost the same idea as food processing.
ReplyDeleteJoel Salatin found that grocery store companies were rejecting their food at the expense of its organic origins. The stores figure that they don’t want these products in their stores because they’re of less quality and more expensive. So naturally, these organic farmers stopped focusing on the labeling of their product as “organic” so they could contend in this market, so everyone wins. They ignored the difference between organic agriculture and industrial agriculture
In the second part of the reading which was chapters 8 through 12; Polland stresses that organic farming does not necessarily mean that farming is sustainable. In the chapters he points out that farming is a business and that consumers now want to consume organic foods. However because of the desires of people wanting organic foods companies have bought small organic companies and they are no industrialized. These companies are not doing anything different when it comes to the cleanliness of the animals it is described as what we saw in the fill. Where the animals are kept in big houses and there waste just ends up in rivers and they are fed the corn meals.
ReplyDeleteJoel Salatin the one with the Polyface farms (organic farms), thinks that the best products for people are those that you can buy right off the farm itself because it hasn’t gone through a factory before you buy it. It is all natural. Joel Salatin does not agree with industrialising agriculture this is because of the way that the crops are grown and the poor raising of animals. He believe that animals should be able to live free and eat of the land because they grow much better and healther and it is better for us. He talks a lot about how the grass is good for these animals however they are not provided with it.