Difference Between Polyface And Industrial Model Of Food Production

Nobody denies that the need for more food grows with the global population. Factory farms seem to be a solution to this problem since they produce mass quantities of food for cheap compared to their organic counterparts, which are forty-seven percent more expensive (Consumer Reports). The factory farming business, however, is not the best way to feed more people since it pollutes the environment. The factory

FRESH is a documentary by Ana Sofia Joanes, she explores the consequences of our current agricultural system and documents the work of farmers, activists, non-profit organizations and business that advocate for sustainable agricultural practices to address the problem. The film presents the farmers from Shenandoah Valley that practice traditional farming by raising and keeping their chickens, pigs, cattle and soil in traditional ways that attempt to imitate the way in which nature naturally works on nutrient and energy cycling. These practices challenge the industrial agricultural model that use a high input of resources to produce large amounts of a single crops/species in designated areas known as monocultures. Monoculture agricultures relies

At Polyface Farm they process their own chickens. Pollan writes “Joel insist on slaughtering chickens on the farm” (172) This shows how it is done efficiently by the farmer, Joel, himself versus Industrial food chains where they waste fossil fuels transporting the animals and products. Also everything starts with one plant, grass. “But if you ask joel salatin what he does for a living he’ll say ‘I’m a grass farmer’” This shows that it is economically efficient because Joel doesn’t purchas feed, it just naturally grows everywhere. Polyface Farms is a prime example of a perfect food source for

The article, “The Animals Place: Practicing Complexity”, by Michael Pollan discusses the benefits of natural farming and contrasts in industrial farming. According to Pollan, natural farming is the best way of agriculture. Pollan cites that not only does it provide organic supplies, but the taste of the products are more rich and tasty. Moreover, the article goes more in depth on his experience in an ecological farm called Polyface. I agree with author on the beliefs of farming and cultivating with an environmental method.

It is known that industrial farming allows a systematic production of food to feed millions of people. Yet the environmental impacts due to “industrial farming”

Michael says that grass “…is the foundation of the intricate food chain Salatin has assembled at Polyface, where a half dozen different animals are raised together in an intensive rotational dance on theme of symbiosis.” (pg. 126). The amounts that Polyface produces on its beef, chickens, and pork are remarkable considering they are only using 100 acres of land. The numbers are astounding because he can make $3,000 per acre in his crop rotation compared to the $150 per acre a monoculture can produce. If you were to ask Mr. Salatin what type of farmer he is, he would respond a “grass farmer”, and as Pollan points out, out of the many crops he produces and the many meats he is able to raise, the grass is the least obvious reason for Salatin to be in business. But indeed, the grass is the crop his farms depends on in order to keep the partnership between the animals, grass, and keep Polyface running. In an article called Mixed Crop-Livestock Farming, by the Agriculture and Consumer Protection, they state that these “…diversified systems are a combination of specialized subsystems that aim to reduce risk in conditions of variable but relatively abundant resources…resources such as fertilizer and fossil fuels are restricted because of problems with pollution.” This article I found was from the FOA (Food

Local sustainable farms are farms that are used to produce food of higher quality with a more organic approach. A popular local sustainable farm is the Polyface Farm, designed to feed animals more than what is needed for them, not for the farmers. Farmers can accomplish this by farming grass rather than a cheaper source such as corn. Corn is not the main course a cow or animal will eat, which harms the animal due to not adapting to living such a life. Local sustainable feed is what the animal should be fed and has been designed to eat, which is evident in the book “Omnivore's Dilemma” on page 168 when Joel Salatin states, “I'm a grass farmer.

Pollan accompanied Salatin on Polyface Farm’s weekly delivery runs and was able to talk to some of the cooks and chefs that Polyface supplies. On the delivery run, Pollan noticed, “the chefs had uniformly high praise for the quality of Polyface produce (251). When asked about the difference in the eggs between Polyface and the supermarket, one chef replied, “The difference is night and day—the color and richness and fat content. … I always have to adjust my recipes for these eggs—you never need as many as they call for” (252). There is testimonial proof that Polyface Farms generates a quality product that is superior to that of the local supermarket. Salatin’s brother illustrates the quality of his product, “he’d crack one right into the palm of his hand, and flip the yolk back and forth from one hand to another to demonstrate its integrity” (252). Salatin claims that his product is better than that of industrial produce because his farm is as he refers to it, “beyond organic” (132). Meaning to truly develop a high quality meat product you can’t feed the animals industrialized corn and expect them to stand in feed lots or be confined to a cage their entire life. To truly produce food that is the best possible quality for you, the animals need to be raised the old fashioned way. Feed them what they are naturally meant to eat and give them

The Local Sustainable Food Chain creates a healthier environment because the farmers work with the land and animals in more natural ways and help the environment thrive. As shown by Polyface Farms, a prime example of Local Sustainable farming, regular farming practices had created soil that “was either no longer fertile or had washed away. (Pollan 161)” As Joel salatin, the owner of Polyface, switched types of farming, he

Considering the marketing segment, we choose the target market from small, medium and large farms. If products are sold to small farms, the sales revenues even can’t cover the cost,

These organic farming techniques were formed based upon the issues that industrial farming uses. In Michael Pollan’s article The Animals: Practicing Complexity, industrial farming techniques “follow a clear, linear, hierarchical logic” unlike Polyface’s system, which is more difficult to describe. Many see industrial methods as disrespectful to the lives of animals in which we harvest. The practices that Polyface Farms use present

Local sustainable farming has many attributes, but one of the most important is to preserve the quality of the environment. Even though farming is not a new concept, many people do not know what it is or how it works, yet most of them think that food just comes from supermarkets. The current industrial agriculture system have improved the yields of production by growing monocrops such as corn and soy, which in turn is leading the land to erosion. It has also implemented the use of new technologies, mechanization, chemical products, and government policies (Ingels, Campbell 1.) However, it has had significant costs. Land deterioration, water contamination, and human health problems related to diet are some of them. As the industrial farms, sustainable farms also have high yield of production. As shown in “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” Polyface, a local sustainable farm located in virginia, produces in a season: 30,000 dozen eggs, 10,000 broilers, 800 stewing hens, 25,000 Lbs of beef, 25,000 lbs of pork, 1,000 turkeys, and 500 rabbits (14). Opposite to Industrial farming, local sustainable agriculture is helping the land recover thanks to the implementation of multicropping and the use of

To expand its operations, Polyface will have to acquire new land. This would also require someone to manage the farm activities in a similar fashion to the existing farm. This would need intensive training and experience in the existing processes.

The National Organic Standards Boards defines organic agriculture is ìan ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony. The primary goal of organic

Agriculture in the United States has changed dramatically over the centuries. Since the 1960’s large commercial farms have been leading in sales. As a direct result of their success we, as a society, have access to affordable food. However, the success of large farms has lead to many negative impacts such as increased usage of resources and decreased diversity in crop fields. This begs the question, what can be done to reduce the negative impacts of large farms. One solution growing in popularity is sustainable agriculture. The idea of sustainable agriculture is to create farms that need little to no outside help from irrigation, pesticides, or fertilizers. Sustainability can be achieved in many way through