Summary Of Chapter Twelve Of The Omnivore s Dilemma

Reading Summary/Discussion Questions #3 This past week of class we were to read chapters ten through fourteen of The Omnivore’s Dilemma. This week’s readings were really a mix of different things, but it was a more behind the scenes look at what happens on a farm. I found it all very interesting, as I have this entire book, because often times I do not know what all goes into farming and it was interesting to see how it traveled from Polyface Farms to the market to a meal. In chapters ten and eleven, Pollan continues to observe Salatin’s Polyface Farm where he focuses on his agricultural practice. In chapter thirteen, Pollan views how Salatin sells his food and his beliefs behind agriculture. Finally, chapter twelve deals with the†¦show more content†¦On the contrary, the U.S. Department of Agriculture believes in fence-to-fence sowing, so there are really no trees. Pollan points out that this type of agriculture has many problems and many of these lead to disease. Unfortunately, this agriculture has been stripped of its wisdom and intelligence. Even Salatin points out that rural schools encourage the smarter ones to go to college and the low-scoring students stay behind to help on the farm. Basically, â€Å"it’s a foolish culture that entrusts its food supply to simpletons† (Pollan 221). Coming from a rural school, I see this being true, but I also have to disagree with Salatin because they may not be the smartest, but they sure do know a lot about corn. The second section to be reviewed is chapter thirteen. In this chapter, Pollan sees how Salatin sells his food and how it compares to other supermarkets. Compared to other supermarkets, Polyface Farm’s food is more expensive; however, Salatin argues that it is actually, if fact, cheaper. He believes that because it is produced without subsidies and it is more sustainable compared to industrial food. Consumers also have a reason for choosing Salat in’s food over other supermarkets. They believe that his chicken tastes better and would rather pay for quality, which it seems many people do not want to do today. For example, I work at a farmer’s market and you would not believe how many people complain