Corn Industry and PLANTS

In Biology today, we talked about plants, and how they are "SO AWESOME!" according to our professor, Dr. Borden. One of the exercises we did was to list some of the things we used this morning that included plant material, and after reading Pollan's book, I learned so much about corn and how it's in everything, even the things we least expect it to be in. Never really thinking about the food I eat, this news was quite shocking to me, but as I thought about it more, the more sense it made.

Many sciences today are utilized towards profits, especially for the food industry. It's ironic however that even though though all they do is to "benefit" humankind a lot of these ideas actually backlash and cause problems. While nitrogen is beneficial to fertilize fields which in return feeds the world, nitrogen can also be used to make mass weapons of distruction. And in excess to fertilize they evaporate to form gases for global warming and also run off into water supplies of cities making it toxic to drink for some.

Like sweeteners, science can be used for good, however in excess it usually brings harm to humanity and with that comes greed as well.

Another interesting thing I learned today was that most nutrients a plant takes up is from the air, and it is estimated that it's composed of more than 90 percent of the plants' growth. Cool eh?

This book has funny titles

Upon finishing part one of Pollan's book, I realized something kind of funny. Not just the subject titles... Corn sex? I found that the ongoing theme was that corn and humans are dependant upon each other. The word "dependant" in particular stood out to me. I learned new information about the crop and was exposed to a new, surprisingly accurate point of view. Corn is an American staple and, thanks to the knowledge of old Native Americans, corn is in EVERYTHING, even some of the non-food products we use. It's hard to believe that such a needed crop like corn is unable to be left alone. Corn needs humans in order to grow and be made into products or be used as food. Humans though, need corn to survive, since there is some part of corn in everything we use.
Daniel Tosh (if you don't know who he is already) is a famous comedian. In his stand-up "Completely Serious" Tosh states that it wouldn't matter if all the corn in the mid-west were destroyed because "ethanol is a dream, and a dumb one". It just goes to show that humans actually take corn for granted. The truth is, Daniel Tosh, just as corn needs us to survive, we as humans also depend on the versatile crop we all know as corn.

Thanks Michael Pollan.

America: "Too Many Farms for Her Own Good?"

Whenever I am on a road trip, I always enjoy looking out the window at all of the farms in the middle of nowhere. Growing up, I told my grandmother of how badly I wanted to live on a farm. Having grown up on a farm, my grandmother continuously told me how much work it was and how often people lost their farms in the 1930s. Many of the farms that I see out the window are now old, rundown and dilapidated buildings. It never occurred to me that there might be too many farms in America.
After reading Micheal Pollen's The Omnivore's Dilemma, I was surprised by the fact that farmers have rivals besides other farmers. The job of "feeding America" was so important in the earlier years of the 20Th century that it would not seem like there would be people advocating against them. Farmers have long been an annoyance to Washington and Wall Street because they have been involved in the labor movement since the late 1800s. They were also disliked by food processors and grain exporters. Food processors and grain exporters basically profited off of the farmers' overproduction and low crop prices. Lower prices and more crops boosted business for these two groups while it depressed the farmers. So less farms producing more groups is advantageous to food processors and grain exporters. Although they are making a profit, it seems to me like their reasoning behind disliking the amount of farmers in America is a little selfish.

Children of the Corn

I was very interested in the passages about farming in Iowa. My family owns a cornfield in Iowa that has been passed down for over a century. It is planted and harvested by an Iowan, in exchange for a share in the profits. Unlike the farmers in the book, Brad alternates each year between corn and soy beans; I do not know what type of fertilizer is used.

I was not surprised to learn that cattle are fed corn. One of my relatives is a rancher (also in Iowa) and once told me the story of buying new cattle to add to his herd, and the difficulty he had in switching them from hay to corn. I was however, shocked to learn that the cattle are also fed meat byproducts. It is hard for me to understand how ranchers can justify what they feed their cattle when it is necessary to employ full time vets to care for the abundance of sick animals.

Pollan Part I

It surprises me a bit that Pollan doesn't elaborate much on both sides of the corn-fed beef issue - mainly he discusses his own opinions. Pollan makes a number of valid arguments, especially concerning the American diet and processed foods in general, but the fact remains that corn-fed beef is America's favorite beef. That isn't likely to change any time soon. Corn, although a cheap ingredient, helps keep ranches and feedlots from facing economic downfall due to its high demand. In the cattle business, optimum health and "organic" quality have to take a back seat to the business side. Ranchers are caught up in an industry much bigger than them. A few ranches here and there do well with grass-fed cattle, but this idea simply isn't applicable everywhere. If grass-fed beef were to become a product people want, instead of a fast food filler, it would succeed as well as corn.

Also, knowing a little about feedlot operation since our ranch's steers are sent there once they are old enough, feedlots are not all as repulsive as Pollan seems to make them out to be. Whether cows are genetically intended to eat grains or not, they have now evolved to prefer them. Sick cows in feedlots or anywhere else usually result from poor care on the part of the owners. Brands of food, inattention to detail, and lack of vaccinations can all be contributing factors. Most feedlot operators want their cattle to be as healthy as possible so that they will produce the best beef possible.

New Topic - Pollan

When you read Part I of The Omnivore's Dilemma, think about and reflect on what surprises you. Note how he compiles information from so many disciplines and makes it understandable to general readers.

Great Writing, y'all!

These Madeleine mini-essays are terrific. I enjoyed reading every one of them. Notice how often Dads appear in them. Any thoughts about that? It seems to run counter to the assumptions that mothers are associated with food more than fathers.