Comments on: Michael Pollan on The Cornification of America

By: Amy Sherman

Amy Sherman — Sat, 15 Apr 2006 18:09:00 +0000

Michael Pollan was on NPR this week and had some very disturbing stories to tell about his experience visiting an organic “cage-free chicken ranch”. Apparently cage-free is not as idylic as one might imagine.

By: shuna fish lydon

shuna fish lydon — Sat, 15 Apr 2006 05:34:00 +0000

For an extensive list of where to hear this man speak, follow our very own Jennifer maiser’s link:

http://www.lifebeginsat30.com/jen/2006/04/michael_pollan_.html

Marc– thanks for the correction. Of course I meant anti-biotics. Although in order to bring cows and pigs to their “slaughter weights” fast they are also fed growth hormones. Really it is just a big mess, all the medicine to just cure how we have intentionally hurt them in the first place.

Michael Lydon– you are my inspiration as a thorough reporter!

My hope is that we all find ways to say no to commercial agriculture and factory farming– even if it is just in small brave ways. It’s important to remember that our own small enclave of SF/East bay is not at all representative of most of the state, let alone our vast country.

By: Catherine

Catherine — Sat, 15 Apr 2006 01:14:00 +0000

MP is also giving a talk and book signing at the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market on May 7th at 11 a.m.

By: Michael Lydon

Michael Lydon — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 23:32:00 +0000

Good report, clearly written, on a fascinating subject. Pollan is a fine writer-reporter who sees the whole issue of food in its widest context, from the personal experiences of the individual consumer to the commercial pressures of mega agribusiness. Thanks, Shuna, for spreading his insights to a wide audience.

By: cookiecrumb

cookiecrumb — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 21:39:00 +0000

Very depressing. I spoke with the wife of a local Bay Area liberal radio personality, she’s a lawyer for food, and I told her I was alarmed about corn.
“Oh, GMO?” she asked. Nonchalant. Dismissive.
No! I said. (Idiot!) HFCS! NAFTA issues!

By: holly landry

holly landry — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 20:36:00 +0000

shuna ~

Very informative and well written, I feel very blessed and honor the responsibility of living in the Bay Area- having access to this type of information and of course the privilage to make good food choices. I only wish the rest of my life choices were this black and white :)

By: Brett

Brett — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 16:11:00 +0000

Thank you Shuna for taking notes for those of us who couldn't make it to Michael Pollan's talk. Great write up. For readers who are interested in hearing Mr. Pollan interviewed on this topic and others from his new book, listen online to Tuesday's episode of Fresh Air here.

By: Marc

Marc — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 14:49:00 +0000

Great post. A slight expansion: you wrote that cattle are fed "hormones" to allow them to process the corn and grain that they are fed at feedlots. I'm sure that the food has plenty of hormones, but it is actually much worse, as feedlot cattle are provided a regular ration of antibiotics. Cows aren't evolved to eat corn, so it causes serious digestive problems that antibiotics can partially relieve. Here is what Pollan wrote in his outstanding 2002 piece Power Steer:

"What keeps a feedlot animal healthy -- or healthy enough -- are antibiotics. Rumensin inhibits gas production in the rumen, helping to prevent bloat; tylosin reduces the incidence of liver infection. Most of the antibiotics sold in America end up in animal feed -- a practice that, it is now generally acknowledged, leads directly to the evolution of new antibiotic-resistant ''superbugs.'' In the debate over the use of antibiotics in agriculture, a distinction is usually made between clinical and nonclinical uses. Public-health advocates don't object to treating sick animals with antibiotics; they just don't want to see the drugs lose their efficacy because factory farms are feeding them to healthy animals to promote growth. But the use of antibiotics in feedlot cattle confounds this distinction. Here the drugs are plainly being used to treat sick animals, yet the animals probably wouldn't be sick if not for what we feed them."

By: lee

lee — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 14:25:00 +0000

Shuna,
Thanks for this report. I love Michael Pollan. I fully agree that food is worth spending more money on. I go without many things so that I can afford the best food available to me.