Blog 12

How has industrialization impacted farms both socially and environmentally? Do the potential benefits outweigh potential costs? Be sure to address Wendell Berry's assertions about the impacts of such "progress" as he calls it. 
After reviewing City Root's website, think of two questions that you would like answered on Monday. Think about the production, business, and social aspects of sustainable farming.

Industrialization has greatly (and mainly negatively) impacted farms both socially and environmentally. Socially, industrialization has essentially destroyed the necessity for farmers. In the past, farmers were needed to perform labor in the fields however now machines are becoming the farmers. Also, credit has become a large issue within the farming community. To survive as a farm you now need the required heavy machinery--which requires large sums of money--and once you acquire the bigger machinery you want more land and therefore more money is required. This has negatively effected farms because getting loans is not always easy and its most certainly causing small farms to suffer.  Environmentally, industrialization has forced farms to move away from using renewable energy sources. When speed and efficiency are the major factors in creating a successful farm, the environment is left out of consideration. We are no longer using cover crops to make the soil useful and are wasting energy and becoming dependent on fossil fuels. Overall, I do not feel that the benefits outweigh the costs and feel that we should be focusing on creating more sustainable farms as opposed to perpetuating these social and environmental issues. As Berry very accurately stated, "I now suspect that if we work with machines the world will seem to us to be a machine, but if we work with living creatures the world will appear to us as a living creature." And I think, in a nutshell, that has become our problem-- viewing the planet as a machine that is constantly cranking out resources and not as a living thing that requires care and nurturing in order to continue yielding the resources we require.

1.What is the most difficult part of no till farming? Have you found it to be more prosperous/profitable than till farming?
2. How difficult is it to become USDA certified organic?

Blog 11

How do food safety regulations affect small and medium sized farms? Use examples from the summary of Food Safety Modernization Act and from Wendell Berry. Does the food system according to the report by the US Food and Drug Administration address all risks involved in food production? If so, how well does the US government address these risks? If not, what is another risk that is not accounted for, and how could it be managed? 

Food safety regulations often require, as pointed out by Wendell Berry, "more and more expensive equipment", which, although it may be pocket change to large food companies, can be enough to force a small or medium sized farm to go out of business. I think Berry also raises an interesting and valid question when he asks "is it impossible to be inexpensively healthful and clean?" When you look at the Food Safety Mondernization Act, you can't help but think that the answer--whether it is accurate or not--is yes.
In the report by the US Food and Drug Administration they say in regards to food production and its risks that "since data and scientific knowledge are never totally complete, an assessment of absolute risk is impossible". Still, in my opinion, even the way known health risks and hazards in food production are dealt with could be greatly improved upon. Recalls on certain food products because of potential food-born illnesses for example are not always widely and clearly communicated by both the food companies to the FDA and the FDA to the general public. And, when they are, it is often difficult for the consumer to, first, once they learn of the recall, to even know for sure if they have or have not ingested any of the items that may be potentially hazardous.

Blog 8

What are some of the attacks brought against the class-action lawsuits against the USDA? In your opinion, were these attacks justified? Why or why not?

What were the plaintiffs in the lawsuits claiming? Do you believe the claims were legitimate? Why or why not?

What should be done to prevent further lawsuits of this nature? Is there any way to ensure that farmer discrimination does not exist? Is so, how? If not, why not?

Some of the attacks brought against the farmers who were suing the USDA were that: these farmers could be lying since evidence of their mistreatment was not required, that this lawsuit created an opportunity for a myriad of other farmers to now receive compensation when they previously had no complaints, and finally that, in general, fraud, lying, and forged documents were prevalent throughout the entire process. The plaintiffs in the lawsuits claimed that their prospective groups were being denied loans, as opposed to white, male farmers who were regularly receiving them. I believe that the claims could certainly be legitimate because of other similar discrimination against minorities in our country's history. To help to prevent further lawsuits like these in the future I think the USDA should more clearly regulate how many farmers may receive in loans, and then make sure that money is allocated fairly to all farmers across the nation. The application process for payments should also be monitored more closely to prevent non-farmers from receiving money fraudulently. Furthermore, farmers should have a means to lodge valid complaints that can then be resolved quickly to create an outcome favorable to all parties involved.

Blog 7

Do the pros of GMOs outweigh the cons why or why not? How would the labeling of GMOs affect the food market? How does the media's portrayal of GMOs affect bills being passed? 

In regards to GMOs I would say that the cons definitely outweigh the pros. Although GE crops are resistant to glyphosate, there are now "superweeds" that are also resistant to roundup causing companies like Monsanto to seek approval of a new type of GE crop that would be resistant to the use of an even stronger pesticide. This makes it seem as though even the pros of GMOs eventually create their own cons. First, you create a crop that is resistant to one type of herbicide, then the weeds become stronger and more resistant to it as well which in turn just creates the need for an even stronger and more dangerous herbicide and the cycle goes on and on. Every solution created by GMOs appears to only create a new problem eventually. Labeling of GMOs would, I think, affect the food market in a positive way. It would allow the consumer to make informed purchases without necessarily restricting them to products labeled "organic". The media's portrayal of GMOs, which is certainly influenced at least monetarily by biotech companies, affects bills being passed by sending a message to the voter (however untrue) that there are no health risks directly related to the consumption of foods containing GMOs. The media coverage also focuses largely on the fact that the creation of mandatory GMO labeling would raise the cost of food for Americans.

Blog 6

I think one of the most feasible ways of changing industrial meat production like CAFOs and aligning them with green principles would be by raising the awareness of the general public on exactly how industrial meat producers operate. Perhaps if more people could see just how inhumane and unnatural today's meat industry is, they might care less about having an inexpensive product and more about the well being of the animals, the environment, and themselves. If there was less demand for cheap meat products then there would not be as much incentive for CAFOs to take whatever shortcuts they had to in order to keep the prices low and still make a profit. Hearing Dr. Jones speak about Doko Farms and comparing the lives of the animals on his farm with the lives of the animals in Food Inc. opened my eyes even more to the tragic state of our food industry. I think that if the rest of the country had the same access to this type of information and could understand how bad CAFOs are, not just for the animals but those consuming them, a lot of people would be in support of greener values which could force the food industry to change its practices. Also, I think the greenest types of farms are those who, like Doko Farms, rely on human labor rather than just that of machines.