Entry #7 Fresh Foods and Where to Find Them.

If you read my previous blog post, you are probably a little grossed out by food at this point. However, the food related torture is not over. I recently had the opportunity to watch a short documentary called "Fresh." You can view the trailer by watching the video below. Or you can buy the DVD at their website by clicking below.

                                                               Fresh The Movie Website

The video is thought provoking and it shows viewers two very different farming styles the United States currently employs. The industrialized money making machine and the sustainable farming model that some farmers have embraced. The movie presents several viewpoints and illustrates the successes and struggles of sustainable farming. It also goes a step further because it persuades the audience of the viability of sustainable agriculture. It is profitable, it is maintainable, and it is better for the environment and the natural resources used in farming.

Sustainable agriculture raises a lot of questions and it is an easy subject to conquer. As the graph to the left illustrates, there are a lot of factors to consider.

Personally, this film made me think. A LOT! I never really considered the methods that are being used in agriculture. Most of the techniques that have negative consequences are things that make sense from the surface. For instance, if I need to produce more cows at my farm I need to increase the number of cows I have. I can't increase the amount of space because I haven't made the money from the sale yet. So, my cows will have to be in tight quarters. If the animals are in tight quarters though I will need to keep them on antibiotics to prevent disease. The consequences of these "solutions" are usually overlooked. If the cows were not crowded to begin they likely would not have the issue with disease and sick cows could easily be quarantined from the heard. The large amounts of antibiotics in these animal will soon start to cause the animals normal flora to develop resistances. This means that the normal bacteria of these animals is incredibly deadly. If a human or other animal gets infected they will have a very difficult time finding an antibiotic to stop the infection.

This also leads into the idea of preserving renewable resources. Animals treated with hormones and antibiotics produce waste that will kill and destroy plant life. It essentially has become toxic and difficult to expose of. Normally the feces from these animals would provide nutrients and encourage plant growth.

Finding sustainable solutions will not always be easy but it is possible and it can work.