Time Critiques Nation’s Food System

On the heels of “Food Inc.” comes “America's Food Crisis and How to Fix It," an article that appeared in Time magazine Aug. 2. The commentary is journalist Bryan Walsh’s take on the good, the bad and the ugly – scratch that, just the bad and the ugly – that is our country’s food supply.

Walsh describes the mechanics of the current U.S. agricultural industry as taking an unforgiving toll to the environment, animals and humans. He cites government subsidies, concentrated animal conditions, fertilizer/chemical treatments, antibiotic use and equipment output as contributing factors.

U.S. Food Policy blog posted about the article writing, “The report by Bryan Walsh is strongly worded, and the choice of sources for commentary seems daring.” Blog followers had mixed reviews.

One blogger wrote, “The Time magazine article is very far from objective journalism. It's an opinion piece, not credible reporting. It's rare to see such a one-sided article in a national medium. The article should be an embarrassment to Time.”

While another announced, “While I consider this article as ‘preaching to the choir’ as far as I am concerned, it's nice to see the mainstream media pick up on the food crisis in America. The way this article is presented, it spreads the tenements of the locavore movement without being too wonky or standoffish.”

To underscore the heightened interest of the subject even more, Twitter hosted a discussion session regarding the article Aug. 25. using its AgChat (#agchat) feature.

While Walsh does an excellent job lamenting about America’s “industrial style of food production,” he neglects to present both sides of the argument by citing the reasoning and advantages of our society’s food methodology.

The efficiency of the U.S. food system cannot be denied. Farmers today are producing more food on less land while 98 percent of farms are still family based, contradicting what most cynics try to make the public believe. The average farmer now feeds 129 Americans, compared with 19 people in 1940, according to Walsh’s article.

Responsible farming is thriving throughout the country. American Farmland Trust (AFT) is one of many nonprofit organizations dedicated to protecting our nation's strategic agricultural resources by promoting conservation farming techniques and policies.

Walsh says demand for meat and poultry worldwide is set to rise 25 percent by 2015, while at the same time admitting that sustainable food is pricier than conventional food.

How are producers supposed to meet this demand in a manner that is both economical and effective with organic farming alone? It is simply not feasible.

Our country’s food formula is deserving of more respect than it has been given as of late. Most American farmers are at work daily providing an abundant, affordable food supply while actively engaging in sustainable agriculture practices.

The Hand That Feeds U.S. is an educational resource for urban media about the importance of U.S. agriculture to the security and future of our country. The project provides information relevant to our nation's farming industry, while also seeking to combat the current misinformation-campaigns about food prices and renewable fuels.

Located at its Web site is a series of unpublished letters to the editor from ag-industry members, refuting farming misconceptions that have appeared in recent noteworthy publications. We would encourage farmers to have their voices heard by also writing letters to the editor. The letters posted at the link above serve as a perfect template to help you get started.

Will hyper attention to our nation’s food system result in any industry changes? Should the federal government publicly declare its opinion? What can farmers do to educate consumers and the media?

Food Inc. – Stirring the Pot

“You’ll never look at dinner the same way again” is “Food Inc.’s” tagline, a documentary with strong thoughts about corporate farming and the mechanics of the U.S. food system.

Director Robert Kenner created an aggressive film to offer Americans a detailed peek into food production from farm to plate. “Food Inc.” tackles several controversial issues related to our society’s food industry and unsubtly encourages vegetarianism and large-scale commercial organic production.

The documentary faults a food system dedicated to efficiency by highlighting divisive topics.

“Corn has conquered our world,” the film declares, citing that 90 percent of grocery-store goods contain corn or soybean ingredients, or both. The film contends that subsidizing such commodity crops is making the U.S. overweight. Consumers pay less for foods created from these food bases, which are higher in fat and calories, than they do for healthier options that are more costly to produce, preserve and store for farmers and companies.

“Food Inc.” also targets Monsanto, an agriculture company that sells seeds and other agricultural products, as monopolizing the seed industry. The company has patented multiple seed varieties that are staples within the industry. Monsanto is portrayed as an evil bully forcing farmers to purchase its seed to remain in business. The company is accused of wrongfully suing those that save and replant its year-to-year contracted seed instead of buying a new supply as legally obligated.

Of course Kenner showcases graphic scenes of animals in slaughterhouses and images of animals that are seemingly suffering on farms to lecture on the animal-cruelty angle.

Reactions have been mixed. Film critic Elizabeth Oppriecht wrote, “Personally? I left ‘Food, Inc.’, went straight to lunch and had a big ole’ fried-chicken salad. Much more reliable research should be and needs to be done to support or refute many of the insinuations made by the film. There are many obvious holes in the information presented.”

Advocates of the film include restaurant chain Chipotle, which is advertising the film throughout its nationwide locations, as well as cooking gurus Martha Stewart and Alice Walters and other celebrities.

Monsanto counteracted the “one-sided, biased” film with a Web site dedicated to presenting facts about misinformation presented by movie producers at (http://www.monsanto.com/foodinc/), where consumers can also e-mail the company with their questions. The company refutes an allegation that it declined to be interviewed and says that it actually invited the film crew to a trade show of which they chose not to attend.

“‘Food Inc.’ is counter-productive to the serious dialogue surrounding the critical topic of our nation’s food supply,” states the company’s Web site.

The documentary ends with a call-to-action for consumers, inciting them to practice animal-rights and environmentally conscious food purchasing with the motive, “You can change the world with every bite.”

Agriculture provides millions of industry-related jobs to Americans and is responsible for feeding not only our nation, but foreign countries as well. Corporate farming is designed to produce a low-cost, convenient and abundant food supply in a way that organic farming cannot compete with.

Will “Food Inc.” jeopardize the success of meatpacking companies and commodity crops? Will the U.S. witness an influx of organic spending at the supermarket? Will the federal government attempt to modify food-production laws?

Obama Nationalizes Organic Interest

President Obama expressed interest in the organic farming industry May 5 when he secured $50 million in United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) funds for organic food production.

Funding is available to farmers in all 50 states as administered by USDA’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program. To qualify, a producer must be in the process of transitioning to organic production or be certified with the National Organic Program (NOP), an organization that develops, implements, and administers national production, handling, and labeling standards for organic agricultural products.

Farmers must commit to furthering organic practices in conservation comprising crop rotation, cover crops, nutrient management, pest management, prescribed grazing and/or forage-harvest management to be eligible for funding. Financial allotment is $20,000 per producer. The application process ends May 29.

There is no doubt that organic farming is a huge growth industry, not only as a sector of agriculture, but also as a stand-alone business. The Obama’s have personally advocated organics by planting an organic garden on the White House’s South Lawn.

Multiple groups exist that champion the development and expansion of organic farming methods. The Organic Trade Association (OTA), a membership-based business association for the organic industry in North America, is one such group.

“OTA believes that this funding will further encourage farmers to use such practices and help increase the U.S. production of organic food to meet growing consumer demand,” said Christine Bushway, OTA executive director.

Other industry groups include the Organic Consumer’s Association, The New Farm, Acres USA, and the Northeast Organic Farming Association.

As proof of the farming segment’s increased growth, the USDA intends to create a division within the agency that is solely dedicated to organic agriculture.

Industry Stats (OTA)
• Organics have grown at a rate of nearly 20 percent per year for the past seven years
• Organic food sales grew in 2008 by 15.8 percent to reach $22.9 billion, accounting for 3.5 percent of all food-product sales in the U.S.
• Mass-market grocery stores represent the largest single distribution channel of organic products

Proponents of organic agriculture highlight that organic food products are healthier and less costly to both producers and the environment than food produced by conventional farming methods.

Organic opponents assert that organic products are more costly for food distributors and retailers and ultimately, restaurateurs and consumers. Some argue that organic farming is jeopardizing traditional agricultural in regards to agribusiness success and independent farmers utilizing technology.

Does organic farming warrant more or less federal money? Does it pose a threat to commercial farmers? What are the benefits and disadvantages of organic-agricultural methods?