VOICE TWO:

Mister Pollan shows that there are different levels of organically produced food. Some big farms grow organic food with methods similar to industrial farms. They follow the rules necessary to be called organic producers. But many of their methods are still not very healthful or sustainable.

Many large organic farms ship their crops all over the world. One could argue that the benefit of organically farmed products is cancelled out by the high amounts of fuel required to transport them to buyers.

VOICE ONE:

Members of the Salatin family. Joel Salatin is at lower left.

This leads Mister Pollan to explore small-scale, local organic farming. He visits Polyface farm in the state of Virginia. The owner of this farm, Joel Salatin, has interesting ideas about farming. He describes himself as a grass farmer because grass is the base of the food chain of his farm animals.

Joel Salatin is not interested in having "organic" as a label describing his farm. He and his family have built a farm system of rotational grazing that is based on the biological patterns found in nature. Because they practice sustainable farming, they do not need chemicals for any of the chickens, cows, pigs, and rabbits they raise.

These methods produce healthy animals that are good to eat. And, Polyface refuses to ship food anywhere, so the farm depends only on local buyers. The farm has become an important example of how sustainable farming can remain local, environmentally friendly and productive.

VOICE TWO:

Michael Pollan ends his book by discussing an extremely local meal, one he produced himself. He hunted a wild pig, grew vegetables in his garden and searched for wild mushrooms. He says this method of eating is not possible to do everyday. But he shows that the experience is important because it reminds us about the source of the food we eat and its direct relationship to the natural world.

Mister Pollan's food investigations ask readers to think more carefully about the kind of food they eat and the way it is produced. "The Omnivore's Dilemma" also points out the ways in which America's food system should be reformed.

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