Hw#7-Reading Response Monday

The Omnivore's Dilemma The Secrets Behind What You Eat by Michael Pollan

Chapter#1-How Corn Took Over America: A Field Of Corn

Precis

Corn is in lots of the everyday foods that we eat from soda to frozen dinners. Corn allows us not to feed ourselves but also that foods that we ate such as chickens, fish, and pigs. Corn all started with the Native Americans then later traveled all around the world. Not only does corn help us but we help corn also with growing and creating a new epidemic.

Gems

One thing tht stood out to me was when was in the introduction it said "The chemical is so toxic to the nervous system that no one is allowed in the field for five days after it is sprayed. After the harvest, the potatoes are stored for six months in a gigantic shed. Here the chemicals gradually fade until the potatoes are safe to eat." I found that to be very interesting how they put chemicals in our potatoes and we wait six months to eat it. It's kind of like we are eating something toxic.

Thoughts/Questions

From reading the first chapter i realized enjoyed learning how lots of the things we eat involves corn because i never realized that especially now looking at the labels and they saw things like "corn syrup" and all these diffcult names when it's just corn. I did not think corn had such an impact on our lives and how much it really helped us. Is it possible to replace all those things with corn with something and is corn really that good for you?

Chapter#2-The Farm:One Farmer,140 Eaters

Precis

I visited a farmer by the name of George Naylor, he farm consist of lots of corn and some soybeans. Many years ago, it was more such as fruits and vegetables but corn has become prominantley dominant in recent times. Corn has caused farmers to deleted themselves from the picture and have no kind of land to produce food. An average american farmer grows enough food for 140 people they don't know. Farmers and agribusiness companies have created "fake corn" to produce more corn which has cause so many farmers to drop out. There were once so many farms everywhere now you can barely find one.

Gems

Looking on page 26 and 27, i was really shocked by how much of the fruits people once grew are not there anymore. It crazy how people just make these chemicals and what-not(GMOs) and cuteverybodies farms out. Then on page 27 it shows how all around the U.S people had many farms and now there is barely. Next thing you know there won't be any farms at all. "A farm of corn and soybeans doesn't require nearly as much human labor as the old-fashioned farm full of different kinds of crops. Bigger tractors and machines, chemicals weed killers, and aritfical fertilizer made it easier for one farmer to handle more acres."

Thoughts/Questions

From reading the first two chapters i think that i do not know what us americans would do without corn. I think that farmers do not get enough credit for what they do for people to eat and should be appreciate more. When it comes GMO's i think that it's crazy at the same time kind of interesting how the agriculture business make all these new ideas on creating less and less work. It kind of reminds me of last year when we talked about the Digital Unit and how we create technology for is less stressful for a human being.

Chapter#3-From Farm to Factory: Turning Bombs Into Factory

Precis

Visiting the Naylors farm, i have learned what happens behind closed doors. Lots of farmers are putting nitrogen into farming an making corn and by doing that it creates a lot of energy burning fossile fuels. Nowadays they invest so much time using up energy than producing food calories. All of this nitrogren has just is hurting the enviroment making the agriculture business stronger and the farmers are poor.

Gems

Something that i found interesting was that it said "Buh what happens to eighty pounds of man-made nitrogen that Naylor's cron plants don't take up? Some of it evaporates into the air, where it creates acid rain. Someof it turns into nitrous oxide, a gas that increases global warming." I thought that it crazy how smething so small like changing corn and the genetics can turn into global warming making the world worse than it already is. Referring to this another "gem" i found was the nitrogen cycle and how each of the components travel everywhere not just the inside the soil.

Thoughts/Questions

Each time i read the book i find it more and more intriguing. I am getting a little more of the concept where my food comes especially corn. It seems like corn is at the ls the top of the list of money making and knocking out farmers and other vegetables and food out the way. I think that government is acutally killing us instead of making us stronger. They just want to make money so they can be rich and forget about everybody else which is selfish.

Chapter#4-The Grain Elevator:Food On The Ground
Precis

When i visited the grain elevator there was a lot of corn being unused. The grain of elevator that i saw was called "number 2 field corn" which is an excess amount of extra corn. They take the corn that is not being used and use it to feed animals who do not adapt to, fuel, exported, and high frutose corn syrup.

Gems

What stood out to me was how they had the diagram on how the number 2 field corn" was split up into which i found to be really bad. Also how they force the cows to eat corn when they do not eat that all. That's like making us eat rocks or something. It's worse for the animals.

Thoughts/Questions

I think that it kind of weird how corn is being used in everyway shape or form. I feel like the companies should make a whole new process of this or come with a different approach. It's like more money but hurting more things such as animals and the human body. Why?

Chapter#5-The Feedlot-Turning Corn into Meat:City of Cows

Precis

I bought a cow to see how it came from a farm into our stomach. Looking at the feedlot and how the #534 was getting treated made think a lot about eating beef. The cows were forced to eat corn which is not related to their diet. Giving them corn causes them to gain weight to make beef but at the same time make them ill.

Gems

What i found interesting was all the different diseases the cows and us humans can get from all this processing food like corn. It said "cattles with acidosis stop eating, pant, and drool, paw and scratch their bellies, and eat dirt. This can so weaken the animal that it can devlop diahrrea, ulcers, liver, disease, pneumonia, and feedlot polio." I thought how all things can also happen to us just because companies want to make poor decisions on how our food is taken care of.

Thoughts/Questions

SO far this chapter has really made me think twice about eating beef just for the simple fact on how the cows get treated in the feedlot and how they are forced to eat things not in the diet. Why force them to eat that when in the long run it's kind of killing us also.