Organic Farming Essay

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 animals in the book “Animal Farm” hoped to achieve unity, equality. trust/truth, prosperity, better quality of life, freedom and individuality, in terms of the revolution. This was achieved at the beginning of the revolution, which made it a success, but in the end the revolution was a failure.

Polyface model - Integrated strategy: Polyface is a small scale, community oriented farming. It was envisioned to be an environmentally sustainable farm, effectively utilizing the resources inherent in the land, and mimicking the natural ecosystem. The activities of the farm animals complimented each other and contributed to the overall effectiveness and productivity of the farm’s system. The waste produced was ultimately returned back-to-the-land. For example Polyface utilized excreta and composted internal organs of the farm animals for use as natural fertilizer for the grass. It believed in nature’s biodiversity system and maintained its animal ratio accordingly to suit that system. For example the hen to cow ratio was 16:1 which effectively helped process the cow manure. Polyface focused on organic farming, selling the bulk of their products locally. Compared to the industrial model, Polyface produced

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.

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

Other flaws in “big” organic are discussed, painting a picture  of a feel‐good movement that provides few benefits. Pollan’s final position on “big” organic is  somewhat unclear. He clearly perceives substantial flaws in the system, such as the fact that it is  as non‐sustainable as typical industrial food production, but at the same time he seems to argue  that it is at least a step in the right direction.     Pollan’s position on “small” organic is much less equivocal. He spends a substantial section of  the book detailing his visit to a small organic “grass” farm. Although Pollan does his best to  maintain a journalistic, neutral view throughout the book, it is clear that he was captivated by  the work being done by the grass farmers. Pollan shows that the most important crop to these  farmers is in fact the numerous varieties of grass, which form the foundation of the life cycle on  the farm. These farmers work to farm in a sustainable, natural way that closely resembles the  symbiosis of nature. In this section, Pollan provides a fascinating look at the evolved  relationships between different species of plants and animals, and how these relationships can  be utilized to create a sustainable farming system. Although Pollan is clearly enamored with  such “small” grass‐based farming, he also recognizes the near impossibility of implementing  such farming on a large scale. For example, the higher costs

Pollan contrasts the processed food produced on factory farms with Polyface Farm, a small farm in western Virginia where all of the organisms that produce food there coexist in a mutualistic relationship. The grass feeds the cows, while the cows actually encourage the growth of the grass. Chickens eat insects from the waste of the cows, producing rich eggs. The owner of Polyface Farm, Joel Salatin, has mastered this way of farming by harnessing the natural benefits of producing a variety of species together. Pollan also participated in the process of slaughtering chickens on Polyface Farm, which is much smaller and less routine than on factory

We walked the farm seen the animals and crops that were there and learned the ways of having a traditional organic farm the benefits from it the proper ways that one type of plant can in effect have a dramatic effect in the sustainability of another and how there in ways interdependent on each other examples are that one plant has a natural repellant for insects that in effect can help the other plants that are effected by that insect to how the trees and bushes are grown in a way that actually gives the other plants shade from the sun. We learned about the organic feeding that the animals are given and the free range that they have so that the animals have no stress upon them as David says that the only time that they are under stress is when they are about to processed for slaughter. Michael Pollan discusses this in detail in the book expressing that this is in fact that sustainable farming is farming type that was common place in the 60s and now in modern times is making a comeback due to consumers being more aware of the foods and want to ensure the purity and health implications on their food

Pollan indicates Polyface is an alternative farm, resembles the old agricultural ideals, and that grass is the primary foundation for the farm. There is a variety of native grasses and animals who contribute to how the farm function effectively without chemical pesticides, fertilizers, or animal antibiotics. This is because everything on Salatin’s farm relies on grass, the cows eat it,

Is animal husbandry in Texas sustainable in relation to fresh water use and water contamination?

Sustainable agriculture is the production of food, fibre and animal products using farming techniques that protect the environment, public health, communities and animal welfare (Sustainable Agriculture, 2017). The alternative option of sustainable farming is industrial in which chemicals are used to fertilize the soil and plants. This chemical usage can lead to infected soil as well as excessive toiling on soil which can lead to erosion. Sustainable farming benefits the environment as well as the impacts on the produce that is found in the supermarket. There are many positive effects that sustainable farming can have but there are also negative effects as well. There are also huge benefits of buying sustainably. Therefore, agriculture is better and more environmentally friendly way of farming.

Many consumers and farmers have discovered that living in an industrialized culture where the focus has become faster, bigger, and cheaper is not the best way to produce our food. Obsessed with productivity, the agriculture industry is reaping the negative consequences of creating an unsustainable environment for food production. Time and time again, the media captures stories regarding deadly bacterial contamination and dangerous pesticide contamination causing illness and death in our communities. The environment is also damaged and contaminated. This devastating trend, due to irresponsible farming practices as a result of the industrialization of the food industry, has become all too common. Returning to organic farming,

* Not sustainable for a long period of time. It all depends on the type of pesticide used. Growing organically is healthier and provides a much better taste

Ever since the Agricultural Revolution, farming has always been organic. As the human population grew, conventional farming, farming with non-organic methods (using synthetic fertilizers and pesticides), became prevalent to satisfy the population’s demand for food. Recently, organic farming has attracted consumers for its health, environmental, and agricultural benefits versus conventional farming, however, there is a debate whether organic farming can produce enough food to satisfy the current population of 7 billion people and future populations on Earth. Ed Hamer and Mark Anslow argue in “10 Reasons Why Organic Can Feed the World” that organic farming can produce enough food to satisfy today’s population, while D.J. Connor argues otherwise in “Organic Agriculture Cannot Feed the World”. Even though organic farming has plenty advantages over conventional farming, we should stick to improving conventional farming because the projections for organic farming that Hamer and Anslow use are misleading.

The biggest problem people have with organic farming is weed control. You canít use chemicals, so it has do be done mechanically. Farmers use different tactics to try and control weeds, like delaying planting until the ground is warmer and using the crop rotations helps out tremendously. One tool that farmers can use is a flamer to get rid of weeds. According to Bowman, ìFlames from LP-gas burners kill plants by rupturing cell walls, not burning plant tissue. Flaming is most effective on broadleaf weeds as small seedlings.î (1997)