Idealism, Meet Reality

There's been a lot of debate about the food supply lately, sparked in large part by Food Inc. I won't lie: the movie has had a huge impact on the way the Becks buy food. One of us, despite years of work in the commercial agriculture industry, is really wigged out and will only buy meat from the Farmer's Market or the local hippie grocery store. The other one, bless his carnivorous heart, doesn't really care where the food comes from as long as some of the protein comes in the form of cow.

For those who have a horse in this race, here's some food for thought. What does sustainable agriculture look like to you?

First of Many Posts on Food Inc.

As many of you know, I had the opportunity to view the documentary Food Inc. a few weeks ago and was deeply impacted by it. So deeply impacted that I haven't fully formulated my response to it, as I feel that the issue at hand is just too serious and far-reaching to be reacted to impulsively. For example, is corporate control of the food supply a necessary evil? Can an organic and local food movement be sustainable, and can it feed a hungry world? I have no idea.

But for at least one post, I'm going to defend big agriculture. Know what's more cruel than milking a dairy cow? NOT milking a dairy cow. This week I was privileged to spend quite of bit of time with some Wisconsin dairy producers. I was hesitant going into this... given my love of cheese and my current distaste for some of the policies utilized by corporate agricultural, this had the potential to go badly. Food Inc. hyped the animal cruelty that undoubtedly exists in the ag industry, particularly where animals are treated as commodities instead of well, animals. What I found, however, was a group of farmers who respect their animals deeply. On these dairies, animal health and well-being was always top of mind. Part of this was from an economic standpoint -- an upset cow doesn't milk -- but I don't think money was the only motivator. One producer talked of the disappointment of losing a calf, but said the most important thing was that the cow was OK. Another told me that if a cow was upset, it wasn't her fault -- it was indicative of something he (the producer) was doing wrong. I saw the inner workings of milking parlors and learned all the steps that are taken to ensure cow comfort. Large animal and agriculture producers get a bad rep sometimes, but in Wisconsin, the dairy cow is queen.

Many more thoughts to come on Food Inc. to come, but for now, this hippie is enjoying her cheese in peace.