The high yield of corn, it’s depleting the land of the vital nutrients to grown corn. The farmers need to apply fertilizer to the land, so the corn will grow properly. Corn is the only plant that absorbs most of the fertilizer applied to the land. The high yield of corn creates a surplus of corn. This in turn, lowers the price of corn drastically.
As for the growing end of the spectrum, Pollan then goes on to say that “It (corn) had to adapt itself not just to humans but to their machines” (30). Farmers eventually found inventive ways to mass produce this crop. Planting the crops in such a close proximity created not just more space, but also caused the plants to grow upward. This meant that it was easier for machines to come in and extract the corn, so this ushered in the use of fossil fuel. These machines were created not just to cultivate the land, but to also apply large quantities of chemicals to the crops to prevent insect infestations.
The use of fertilizers has become a big phenomenon throughout the world. This affects the fertility of the soil and quality of the crop. Cultivating corps like corn is a huge part of farming and our daily lives. “I believe that losing the ability and desire to grow corn sustainedly threatens our cultural identity and political and economic survival.”(Mt.Pleasant- Page 130) The audience that the author is trying to address is people who are interested in educating young Native Americans of the historical background; authors of the field of Native American studies, people interested in agronomists, educated farmers or farmers children. People who are more aware of this subject matter are the ones who would be interested to read this article.
To the government the whole reason of the law was to guarantee land owners profits of which they had became accustomed to during the war. However opponents of the regime both inside and outside of the regime only saw the law as a class piece of legislation in which the law saved landowners from three things: cheaper foreign grain, stabilised prices and making corn more expensive for the consumer. This concept and idea was not new, a similar law 1804 had been introduced to guarantee 80 shillings a quarter. In spite of this the government had problems to face including riots, petitions and demonstrations. The main protest for this law, was the Luddism riots and machine breaking.
Part one is Industrial/Corn, it describes how corn is the most important ingredient in the industrial food chain, while the second part, Pastoral/Grass talks about organic farming. The last part is on Personal/The Forest, here Mr. Pollan is describing to his readers how he could make a meal out of whatever he could grow, hunt, or gather himself. This document gives a book review only on the first section. Michael Pollan shows us how hard it is to actually choose what we eat given that nature itself has a lot to offer. Nevertheless, if we studied the American industry, we would find that there is one basic ingredient that seems to be in just about everything: - corn.
We are given a general idea about the history of the meat and produce mass production, by the two authors interviewed throughout the film. Corn growers, who are contracted with Tyson, are also interviewed for the shockumentary. The main purpose of these corn growers are to grow an excessive about of corn to keep it under market price so they feed the animals without breaking the bank so to speak. The film also explains to the viewers that naturally these animals would not consume corn in their everyday diet, however they are feed this product because it is cheap and hormones can be easily added to it allowing for the animal to grow at a faster rate and there for faster production. Sadly because corn is not in the normal diet for these animals it can and it is harmful not only to the environment but also on human health.
This is outrageous! The movie mentions that the former Vice President of Monsanto is now a USDA board member and that Monsanto has members in the white house. In other words. Monsanto is ensuring there is no law suit resistance by means of unconstitutional manipulation . Corporations like Monsanto who are attributed to producing over 80% of the corn, and over 90% of soy produced each year, don’t care if the seeds they create are harmful for us and the environment.
I had read elsewhere about how much of what modern people eat today came from the Americas. Imagine your daily diet without any tomatoes, potatoes, chocolate, chilis, corn, beans, and much, much more. Just corn and potatoes by themselves had revolutionized agriculture forever. The author cited a comparison of European agriculture based on before potatoes and after. Compared to the wheat that was the most common staple and potatoes, the wheat was inferior in the amount of work it took to grow it, its susceptibility to weather and predators, and most especially, to the amount of calories produced versus the amount taken to work the field.
It also gave them the ability to teach others how to grow crops so they can live in America without starving. The Europeans that colonized America benefitted from the knowledge of the Native Americans because they did not know how to find their own food. Before the Native Americans taught the Europeans how to grow their own food, they were eating whatever they could get their hands onto. The Europeans took advantage of the Native Americans and took over their territory. Understanding the terrain was a crucial element to learn because they would know where to grow crops, find animals to eat and know where safety is.
The author also gives an idea on how the farmer’s market gains their goods from solely a locally farmed source instead of any other sources. Therefore, the seriousness of this crime is intensified where he includes statements from the testimonies of authorities to include statistical evidence to support his argument. “The inspectors will check for signs that farmers are selling fruits and vegetables that they didn't actually grow themselves, but instead picked up wholesale.” (2) He also includes the opinions of the authorities by including their statements to explain where the problem lies, when the sources of success reflect on “producer only” goods. “According to Gus Schumacher, a former USDA official who's been a close observer and promoter of farmers markets for several decades, the most successful farmers markets in the country are ‘producer only,’ with strict rules against selling produce acquired elsewhere.” (10) The author also uses statements from witnesses, people who are experiencing or seeing the problem. The