The Omnivore’s Dilemma By Michael Pollan

1. The Omnivore’s DilemmaBy Michael Pollan Presented by Gareth Ramsey

2. Dear Diary, I have just finished my research on the Industrial food chain, with a McDonald's meal to wrap it up. I bought my own steer and I visited a corn farmer. I felt sorry for steer 534 as I watched him go through the process of the industrial food chain. Corn and even extra cow parts are fed to these natural grass eaters and the living conditions are not ideal. These bovines often live, quite literally, in their own manure.My visit to the corn farm was slightly less depressing but not ideal. Because of government subsidies, many corn farmers are losing money. In fact, the corn farmer I visited, George Naylor, was only surviving because his wife was also working. The reason why the there are rich fields and poor farmers is largely because of government policies. The government pays farmers to grow corn. This makes corn cheap for the industrial food chain to make HFCS, cheap meat etc. The price of corn has become so cheap that the cost to grow corn (seed, fertilizer, pesticide etc.) is higher then the cost to sell corn. It might cost George $2.50 to grow a bushel of corn, but the grain elevator buys it for only $1.45. Industrial

3. Dear Diary, What amazed me about my research on organic food was what qualifies as organic. The fact that a TV dinner can qualify as organic was unsettling. In fact, many organic companies are actually owned by corporations like Coca-Cola, General Mills, Kellogg and Pepsi. When the USDA were making their rules on what qualified as organic, they decided to allow synthetic additives and preservatives, mainly at the request of companies wanting to get on the organic band wagon. As Gene Kahn said to me, owner of Cascadian Farms, is I should just deal with it, even though organic foods are not perfect for the environment, behind every package, there is an acre of land that is not being doused with chemicals. Organic is better then the industrial food chain, but not by as much as I had imagined. Industrial Organic

4. Dear Diary, I just finished my research at Polyface farm. Polyface is built around sustainability and the environment. In fact, this place was how I originally imagined an organic farm. In fact, I had to go to Polyface because they refuse to ship their food. In Polyface, George Naylor is, as he calls it, a “grass farmer”. The energy from the sun and the water is turned into food by the grass. This energy eventually feeds the cows, chickens and turkeys at Polyface. Even the nitrogen in chicken guts isn’t wasted. On slaughter day all of the feathers and guts are turned into compost which will help the grass grow. I ended my week at Polyface with a day of slaughtering chickens and an enjoyable meal at an old friends house with a Polyface chicken, some local sweet corn, and a Soufflé made with Polyface eggs. Local Sustainable

5. Dear Diary, The thing about the Hunter- Gatherer food chain, is it’s the shortest chain there is. You do it yourself, there is nothing between a person and his food. There are no farmers, companies, supermarkets, restaurants or advertisements. And though I realize our modern world cannot go back to this way of life, it was worth researching, because people like Angelo, my “guide” are still trying to connect to their food. In fact, most people feel the need to connect to their food, usually in the form of a small garden in the back yard. Angelo was the perfect guide. Whenever Angelo makes a meal or brings a dish to a party, he always has a story to go behind every dish. Either he made the vinegar himself, or maybe he caught the halibut this morning or he picked the fennel along the road. As I gathered some mushrooms and hunted wild pigs, he was the perfect guide. Hunter Gatherer – Do it Yourself

6. Dear Diary, I have just finished my research for my upcoming book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma. The information I uncovered scared me. When all seemed lost, I found Polyface farm and met Angelo. Even though I conclude that we won’t be able to go back to the Hunter – Gatherer life style, I hope that we can rely more on local sustainable farms like Polyface. In Retrospect