In Blake Hurst’s “The Omnivore’s Delusion: Against the Agri-Intellectuals,” he opposes the accusations made by tofu-eating, recycled-toilet-paper-using, self-starving Michael Pollan and his followers. Throughout “The Omnivore’s Delusion…,” Hurst mentions how methods of farming have evolved to match demands of produce. The author states that “Only ‘Industrial farming’ can possibly meet the demands of an increasing population and increased demand for food as a result of growing incomes” (Hurst 4). This quote essentially means that “Industrial Farming” is the most efficient way to farm for today’s population level. A second point that is made by Hurst is that changes made by today’s farming are necessary.
In the early twentieth century American ranchers tried to break up the Beef Trust. In 1917 there were four main companies that controlled the entire industry. While this trust was effectively busted, allowing ranchers to sell their cattle at competitive prices for a few decades, the Reagan administration allowed the top four meatpacking companies to combine. In 1970 they slaughtered 21% of the nation’s cattle today the slaughter 84%. This is causing many ranchers to sell their cattle and quit.
Michael Pollan’s alternative to Factory farming has given a huge insight into a better ethics on food. In “The Animals: Practicing Complexity” Michael Pollan writes about a polyface farm and how it works. The goal of a polyface farm is to emotionally, economically, and environmentally enhance agriculture. Everything on a polyface farm has the potential to be helpful to something else on the farm. Pollan states “The chicken feed not only feeds the broilers but, transformed into chicken crap, feeds the grass that feeds the cows that, as I was about to see, feeds the pigs and the laying hens” (Pollan 345).
The three essays assigned this week had several common threads running through them. The strongest core theme is the rapid change in the food cycle in America and the vast changes that have taken place in the way by which we grow, produce, and process the food that average Americans eat. The food we eat now is drastically different from what our grandparents grew up eating and the three essays each examine that in a different way. Another theme is the loss of knowledge by the average consumer about where their food comes from, what it is composed of, and what, if any, danger it might pose to them. “Monsanto’s Harvest of Fear” by Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele is a harsh look at the realities of food production in a country where large corporations, like Monsanto, have been allowed to exploit laws and loopholes to bend farmers and consumers to their
Nevertheless, with the progress of the times, people will change the rules in order to discover the new and efficient way. Pollan writes, “A coalition of political and business leaders who for various reasons thought America had far too many farmers for her (or at least their) own good” (50). Nowadays, the high technology is capable of using the machines to plant a wide range of yield; therefore, there are less people engage in farm and the owner can get more profits from
According to Nicholas Kristof author of “Cleaning the Henhouse” one of the main problems within industrial agriculture is that it is harmful to all human beings. The prime example that Nicholas gives is the increasing rate of salmonella outbreaks in the United States. Salmonella outbreaks are due to the improper care of hens from what they’re being fed down to the environment they’re kept in. Kristof finds it important to respond to this epidemic because it has a direct impact on human health. In addition to identifying a national problem he goes on to propose that the most effective solution would be to ban the usage of cages in chicken farming.
Industrial farms can make more products than traditional farms and that may be the reason why industrial farms are given more spotlight to and are gradually expanding while other farms are moderately deteriorating. Pollan is more understanding of the technological advances which Berry is not. Berry and Pollan agree and concur at times on the same issues of how the industrial model of agribusiness is
It would also be important to compare government policies towards large factory farms and small, family operated farms.
Scully writes: “Conservatives are supposed to revere tradition. Factory farming has no traditions, no rules, no codes of honor, no little decencies to spare for a fellow creature. The whole thing is an abandonment of rural values and a betrayal of honorable animal husbandry—to say nothing of veterinary medicine, with its sworn oath to “protect animal health” and to “relieve animal suffering.” (Scully, 161) As stated in the previous paragraph factory farming has no rules and no regulations thus giving the people in charge of these farms to have free realm over whatever they want to do. They based the treatment of animals on the ability to make a profit.
In many ways, Farm City is a political book that touches areas that the city population didn’t know existed. When we imagine a farm we think large vast area with perfect sunny weather and huge sum of produce. What we learn from this book is that we can be a farmer with just planting a pot of vegetation by the windowsill or keeping a pet rabbit with intent to kill it and consume it. I spontaneously went to the flee market one Sunday and came across some rabbits. I currently am raising a bunny in my apartment that I adore and although I might not kill it myself, I heard rabbit’s meat is delicious.
The problem of industrial farming is dangerous to the land to our health because there are children who are getting sick from the food they eat. America should be concerned about food production because they don't know what’s in it and that could be dangerous for the children and everyone else. In the article “When A Crop Is King” by “Michael Pollan” argues that how our food is made out of corn and it’s unhealthy for us.
When one thinks of the basis of American society, many imagine the working class, free market or even slave trade. But what most Americans do not understand about American society can be summarized by a quote from Michael Pollan: “We North Americans are walking corn chips”. Pollan was able to make this all-encompassing statement about America’s relationship with corn since corn’s high versatility as a crop has helped it become a major part of daily life without the vast majority of the populace being any wiser about it. However, with this major reliance on corn comes a massive amount of pressure placed on farmers, tying their hands in an almost impossible way as the need for corn grows exponentially with the growth of population and industries. Recognizing this issue is vital to
Michael Pollan exposes this by suggesting three main ideas to the future President of the United States. The first idea that Michael Pollan has, is to make farming as natural as it can be again. Currently, CAFO’s are being used to produce our food, which is very unhealthy. CAFO stands for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation, which basically means animals
Alternatives Factory farming is a major problem throughout the U.S.A that is more popular than one would think. Some ways to stop factory farming involves the people to do the work, like buying from humane meat companies. Other alternatives to stop factory farming involves the law to do the work, like banning gestation crates or requiring all agricultural animals to become free range. A second alternative is planting humane meat industries in local grocery stores, like Cub or Hivee, instead of in specific stores, like whole foods.
Factory farms provide all of these things. The second premise refers to the process
