Michael Pollan discusses an important question, "What should we eat for dinner" in the book Omnivore's Dilemma. The book focuses on the three basic lincs in the American food chain. One being what is known as Industrial Farming, which has turned farming into more of a business since the 1950's & 1960's rather than a means to growing healthy home-grown food. Then we have Organic Farming which is supposed to lessen environmental and human "pollution", and last, the ancient art of hunting and gathering that our forefathers had to do in order to survive.
The sections I read for the class had a strong focus on the "Corn is King" theory, which has impacted agriculture in several ways. If you listen to the government, all is well and there is food for everyone, but if you listen to Pollan, corn is not only a costly drain on our limited fossil fuels, but corn can even be deadly at times. Pollan placed great focus on how corn has impacted Iowa farmers. For instance, Iowa farmers in the late 1800's could feed their family and approximately 12 others, but today, an Iowa corn farmer can feed 129 people, yet the Iowa corn farmer seems to be just scraping by on pennies. Sadly, the farmer in the late 1800's at least could feed his family, but today's Iowa corn farmer can barely feed his own blood.
Not only has the corn farming changed how a farm family eats, but in Iowa, you will no longer see great spans of land bordered with fences to keep the livestock on the property grazing on the grass. Yes, corn farming has changed the landscape as well. No longer will there be great opportunity for farm hands to find work, because today, corn farming only requires the farmer, his massive machines, and bunch of fuel. Small Iowa farming towns have seen a great reduction in population, because of this monocultural shift to farming only corn and soybeans.
In the end, the question is, what damage is all this corn production really doing to us, the land, and the animals? Should nature be tampered with by the likes of chemists that created lethal weapons? What affects have using leftovers from WWII made on our food supply back then, and even in today's farming environment? How does the average consumer identify what is okay to eat for dinner, or any meal for that matter?
Pollan, M. (2006). Omnivore's Dilemma A Natural History of Four Meals. The Penguin Press.
The sections I read for the class had a strong focus on the "Corn is King" theory, which has impacted agriculture in several ways. If you listen to the government, all is well and there is food for everyone, but if you listen to Pollan, corn is not only a costly drain on our limited fossil fuels, but corn can even be deadly at times. Pollan placed great focus on how corn has impacted Iowa farmers. For instance, Iowa farmers in the late 1800's could feed their family and approximately 12 others, but today, an Iowa corn farmer can feed 129 people, yet the Iowa corn farmer seems to be just scraping by on pennies. Sadly, the farmer in the late 1800's at least could feed his family, but today's Iowa corn farmer can barely feed his own blood.
Not only has the corn farming changed how a farm family eats, but in Iowa, you will no longer see great spans of land bordered with fences to keep the livestock on the property grazing on the grass. Yes, corn farming has changed the landscape as well. No longer will there be great opportunity for farm hands to find work, because today, corn farming only requires the farmer, his massive machines, and bunch of fuel. Small Iowa farming towns have seen a great reduction in population, because of this monocultural shift to farming only corn and soybeans.
In the end, the question is, what damage is all this corn production really doing to us, the land, and the animals? Should nature be tampered with by the likes of chemists that created lethal weapons? What affects have using leftovers from WWII made on our food supply back then, and even in today's farming environment? How does the average consumer identify what is okay to eat for dinner, or any meal for that matter?
Pollan, M. (2006). Omnivore's Dilemma A Natural History of Four Meals. The Penguin Press.