Whew. Lots of reading in this thread!
I think many of you completely missed the point of Food Inc. The point WASN'T that farmers themselves are the evil people, the point of the movie was how our whole food system is controlled by a few HUGE corporations and the restrictions of our food system because of those large corporations calling the shots. WHY are we letting McDonald's control our beef supply? Why does our nation not give a darn where their food is produced, what's in it, and how it's produced?
And I'm sorry, but you can't call chicken farms "family farms." I'm sorry, but it doesn't work that way. Those families who are growing chickens for tycoons like Perdue, Tyson, Mountaire, etc, are NOT family farms. They are factory farms who HAPPEN to be owned by families. The family doesn't call the shots. The family doesn't control what their birds are eating or when they're processed. The family doesn't control a DARN thing on their farm. THAT is pathetic.
I work in the ag industry and have worked on several farms of all types (beef, sheep, dairy, etc). I support our ag industry but SO MUCH of it is bass ackwards. I really suggest everyone should read "The Omnivore's Dilemma". We're growing CORN CORN CORN here, which already is in over abbundance, yet we grow MORE! Why? So the government can subsidize it and so corn can be jammed into so many products just to use up the surplus? That's not a real market model! In a real market, if you have too much of something and the price is dirt cheap, you STOP producing it until the price comes back up. But what do we do with corn? GROW MORE!
The point is, people should take an interest of where their food comes from. Food nourishes our bodies for heavens sake!!! It's probably THE most important thing we buy, yet hardly anyone cares where it comes from or what is actually in it!! That's pathetic!
AND, if FOod Inc was so full of lies and deceit, like many claim, why arent' these corporations speaking out and telling the truth? Oh, let me guess...it's because they don't want anyone to know what happens with the food they're producing/processing/etc.
Every person in this country should care where their food comes from and how it's produced and processed. And the talk about how this country can't feed everyone using methods like Joel Salatin? BULL. If we stopped overproducing grain corn that we can't actually EAT, and started farming the way that's sustainable and actually grows FOOD (unlike dent corn), then maybe we could make a MUCH better run at feeding everyone. Sure, there may still have to be some industrial ag farms, but MUCH fewer than there are now. AND, if everyone grew at least SOME of their own food, that would really cut back on the amount our farmers need to produce!
Sorry for the rant. This is a touchy subject for me, being a part of the ag industry and having "inside" knowledge of things. I still believe that our food system is corrupt and there are many changes that need to be made.
I think many of you completely missed the point of Food Inc. The point WASN'T that farmers themselves are the evil people, the point of the movie was how our whole food system is controlled by a few HUGE corporations and the restrictions of our food system because of those large corporations calling the shots. WHY are we letting McDonald's control our beef supply? Why does our nation not give a darn where their food is produced, what's in it, and how it's produced?
And I'm sorry, but you can't call chicken farms "family farms." I'm sorry, but it doesn't work that way. Those families who are growing chickens for tycoons like Perdue, Tyson, Mountaire, etc, are NOT family farms. They are factory farms who HAPPEN to be owned by families. The family doesn't call the shots. The family doesn't control what their birds are eating or when they're processed. The family doesn't control a DARN thing on their farm. THAT is pathetic.
I work in the ag industry and have worked on several farms of all types (beef, sheep, dairy, etc). I support our ag industry but SO MUCH of it is bass ackwards. I really suggest everyone should read "The Omnivore's Dilemma". We're growing CORN CORN CORN here, which already is in over abbundance, yet we grow MORE! Why? So the government can subsidize it and so corn can be jammed into so many products just to use up the surplus? That's not a real market model! In a real market, if you have too much of something and the price is dirt cheap, you STOP producing it until the price comes back up. But what do we do with corn? GROW MORE!
The point is, people should take an interest of where their food comes from. Food nourishes our bodies for heavens sake!!! It's probably THE most important thing we buy, yet hardly anyone cares where it comes from or what is actually in it!! That's pathetic!
AND, if FOod Inc was so full of lies and deceit, like many claim, why arent' these corporations speaking out and telling the truth? Oh, let me guess...it's because they don't want anyone to know what happens with the food they're producing/processing/etc.
Every person in this country should care where their food comes from and how it's produced and processed. And the talk about how this country can't feed everyone using methods like Joel Salatin? BULL. If we stopped overproducing grain corn that we can't actually EAT, and started farming the way that's sustainable and actually grows FOOD (unlike dent corn), then maybe we could make a MUCH better run at feeding everyone. Sure, there may still have to be some industrial ag farms, but MUCH fewer than there are now. AND, if everyone grew at least SOME of their own food, that would really cut back on the amount our farmers need to produce!
Sorry for the rant. This is a touchy subject for me, being a part of the ag industry and having "inside" knowledge of things. I still believe that our food system is corrupt and there are many changes that need to be made.
