Weather Forecast: highs around 70 degree F, rain
Sounds like we are in for a rainy week! John and I will be scrambling around Monday morning (before I have to head into school) to get as many plants in the ground as we can before the rain starts on Tuesday.
The plants we've got in the ground thus far look really good. The potatoes are popping up, the lettuces are heading up, and the peas are growing up their trellis. The plant that has suffered the most insect damage so far this year is the Chinese Cabbage--any guesses as to what might be eating its leaves? This week on the farm we'll do a little exercise designed to help you think more about how to identify and deal with pest problems using organic methods.
At the moment we are assuming that the outdoor weather isn't going to be hospitable for working outside. So, we've got a couple of things planned that we can do inside. First, I will fulfill my promise to teach you how to make worm bins and vermicompost. We are going to need some finished vermicompost for planting next week, so I'll teach you how to sort out worms into a new bin once the compost is finished and ready to be used.
Second, John is going to teach you how to lactoferment. Simply put, lactofermentation uses the bacteria that's naturally present on fruits, vegetables, and pretty much all around us to ferment and preserve vegetables. Sauerkraut and kimchi are just two examples of lactofermented foods with rich cultural histories. We'll be lactofermenting asparagus this week and it should be ready for us to sample by our potluck at the end of the quarter.
I titled this blog post "livestock" because if you think about it, both the lactofermentation bacteria and the red worms in our vermicompost bins are living organisms that we are "farming" so that they will perform specific tasks that benefit us. Another reason for the title is that we just added a dozen larger "livestocks" to our farm in the form of Ancona ducklings. The ethics and sustainability of raising livestock is controversial, to put it mildly. The film "Cowspiracy" would like to convince you that cattle farming is the single biggest bad thing humans are doing to the planet. This 15 minutes of excerpts will give you a sense of the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSjE8xw_-Dg.
A few weeks ago in one of our classes, Siwook mentioned Alan Savory. Savory believes that implementing ecologically sound grazing practices can be a key toward sustaining ecological health and combating climate change: https://www.ted.com/talks/allan_savory_how_to_green_the_world_s_deserts_and_reverse_climate_change
After watching these two videos, share your thoughts about livestock. Last week I asked you about the values that are important to you in how your food is produced. Let's narrow that down this week. If you choose to eat meat or other animal products like eggs or milk, what is important to you about how those animals are cared for and how they are killed? If you choose not to eat meat and/or other animal products, what are the reasons behind your choice?
And what about lab meat? Would you eat this? https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/lab-grown-meat-is-in-your-future-and-it-may-be-healthier-than-the-real-stuff/2016/05/02/aa893f34-e630-11e5-a6f3-21ccdbc5f74e_story.html?utm_term=.b13da6fed834
Currently, I eat eggs, turkey, chicken, seafood, and beef. A few years ago, I did not think about the meat and dairy products that I consumed, and I didn’t care where they came from and how they were produced. However, after watching a few documentaries and learning more about livestock, I thought about the food that I consumed. Although I learned more about the process, I have not really took procession of what I consume, because I feel like I do not have any other control of where the meat and dairy products come from. When I eat from the cafeteria, I don’t think I have control of where these products come from. This also applies to when I go to restaurants and grocery stores. I am open to know more about how the care of animals and how they are killed, especially because I will have more of a choice for my foods post-graduation.
ReplyDeleteI choose to eat sustainable meat that is from grass fed animals that are allowed to roam pastures. I have read how animals contribute to deforestation, the destruction of the amazon, fresh water use, and methane production. But the statistics Cowspiricay displayed really shocked me. Even eating fish is likely a bad choice as overfishing contributes to a loss in biodiversity. After watching this 15-minute segment I feel like I may have to be a vegetarian to save the earth I love so much. However, I really don’t want to be. I have tried to be vegetarian before and I was always hungry. It would lead me to completely restructure my diet. I got hope from watching Allan Savory’s Ted Video. Desertification killing biodiversity and the soil but livestock farming can help combat climate change. By having animals graze the field it mimics the natural way of life where prey and predators would roam over a field. By using this method, we can work with nature at low cost to combat climate change.
ReplyDeleteI have tried before to cut out animal products like eggs, milk, and meat from my diet, but honestly, I enjoy eating those things and I found it difficult to cut them out on a budget, so that “diet” didn’t work long. I have to say, I stay away from milk as much as I can (AKA by drinking two jugs of soy milk each week instead), but I still eat a lot of eggs and meats. I am a big fan of bacon, mostly because it is easy to cook and it makes just about anything taste good. All of that being said, I have recently found myself in a bit of a bind. I do care that the animals I am eating are being treated well, but like many other Americans, I often find myself not thinking about how the animal was treated when I take the food out of my fridge or purchase it in the grocery store. For a while it was a trend to buy cage-free eggs, and my mom tried her hardest to always remember to get them instead of the other kind. When I think about it, I really want the animals I eat to have lived a fairly good life, in terms of hygiene, food, and living space. I would also really like for them to have been killed humanly. Watching videos about animals being killed and bad conditions in farms always makes my heart hurt. But still I find myself suffering from that disconnect when I go back to the store the next time.
ReplyDeleteI have been a lifelong omnivore other than the brief 3-month period where I was a vegetarian. I have always struggled with ingesting sufficient amounts of calories and protein and due to the way I was raised, I rely on meat consumption. In regards to the meat industry, I have unfortunately turned a blind eye to the horrific treatment of animals. Ideally, I would like the animals I consume to have lived in ways that are commensurate with the lives of their wild counterparts. This relates to living space, types of food provided to the animals, and whether or not they are given hormones. I don't believe that cows should be fed corn, as this is known to mess up their digestive tract. For me, the problem is one of separation and concealment. When I eat a hamburger in the cafeteria, I don't connect it to the horrors of CAFOs and slaughterhouses. I've always wanted to learn how to hunt, as I feel that that is the best way to allow animals to live normal lives up until the point of their death. The problem lies in the fact that I know nobody who can teach me how to hunt and that I have not put in the effort to make those connections.
ReplyDeleteI don't consume copious amounts of dairy products but I find it very hard to eliminate foods that contain at least some dairy. There were periods in middle school where I chose to not eat dairy because I believed the hormones were causing me skin breakouts and fatigue. To this day, I don't know if my abstention from dairy benefited my health, but I do believe that dairy is consumed excessively in our culture. I feel the same way about meat; if every omnivore greatly cut back on their meat and dairy consumption, it would lower the demand, thus allowing more sustainable livestock-raising methods to have a chance in our economic system.
The idea of lab-grown meat makes me initially uncomfortable, until I realize that I actually find it much less disgusting and morally reprehensible than the current practices of the meat industry. Many people may be turned away from lab-grown meat due to initial disgust, but this is the same for many new foods. If more people in the U.S. saw the full animal killed and chopped up before being served slices of beef, pork, or chicken, I think that many of them would prefer the lab-grown meat.
My younger brother has been a vegetarian for a very long time (since he was three years old!) which means that I was not raised eating a lot of meat. Growing up, most of the meals that my parents cooked were vegetarian. When they weren’t, there were always tons of vegetarian side dishes to make sure that my brother was getting enough food. This means that I never really grew up with an expectation that meat would feature prominently in my meals. Today, my diet does not rely heavily on meat; I would guess that I have more days that I do not eat meat than days that I do. Based on my own taste preferences, I do not eat lamb, sausage, most pork products, or seafood. My meat consumption is mostly limited to occasionally eating chicken or beef.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I have no interest in eliminating meat from my diet entirely. I have always been blunt about the fact that I am not a vegetarian and would never consider becoming one. I enjoy the dishes that I eat that do include meat, and I am not interested in reconfiguring my diet. I am very uncomfortable with the idea that vegetarianism or veganism is inherently more ethical; I just don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone make this argument convincingly. Something that I struggle with in this whole debate is the sheer amount of propaganda (coming from both sides) that circulates surrounding the consumption of animals. Growing up, I can remember some of my vegetarian friends sharing links from PETA to “prove” that their food choices were better. I can remember being irritated that they thought this organization was a reputable source, despite its numerous hypocritical actions and questionable claims. I have definitely had moments where I’ve been frustrated with people who claim vegetarianism/veganism is a “better” choice; I do not think that we should feel confident making judgments about others’ diets. At the same time, however, I do think that those of us who do consume meat are wrong to be dismissive of pro-vegetarian or pro-vegan arguments. I have definitely seen omnivores be disrespectful towards those who don’t consume meat, heard jokes about “tricking” vegetarians into eating meat, etc. This behavior is absolutely inappropriate. Further, I’ve seen omnivores be dismissive of the very real problems with livestock / the meat industry. It doesn’t do us any good to pretend these issues aren’t real; they absolutely are. I just wish there was a greater sense of respect between those who eat meat and those who don’t.
Essentially, I think that regardless of whether or not individuals choose to eat meat, we all need to work towards thinking more critically about where our food is coming from. There are absolutely problems within the meat industry, just as there are problems within the agricultural industry, just as there are problems within industry in general. I, for one, am interested in exploring all possible solutions and ways of addressing these issues. (Including an exploration of new technologies for food production.)
As someone who grew up in a vegetarian household by my parents' Indian culture/Hindu religious beliefs, the first time I was introduced to meat as food was in school by my classmates. I became curious and started to eat meat but never really loved it, and it was never a food habit/normal dish for me. I ate meat sporadically, and on/off and dairy pretty regularly as yogurt was a big thing in my household, as well as ice cream/ghee. Mostly of my life I would say I've been a vegetarian.
ReplyDeleteLast year after I watched cowspiracy, I began to reconsider my choice to consume meat and also dairy products. I slowly eliminated dairy products from my diet, and eventually eggs.
I believe that every organism is integral to our ecosystems/food systems, so livestock really are crucial. But I do believe that our overconsumption of meat/dairy products in the U.S. is a negative factor influencing climate change-- but reducing our consumption to a more sustainable amount would be best for our Earth/society. However, as someone who doesn't get much joy out of consuming animal products in my food, I will likely continue to be vegan in my food choice, because me not consuming meat/dairy is probably being balanced out somewhere in the system where someone else is consuming lots of it!
I don't eat meat but i do eat eggs. I cant eat dairy products so I stay away from them. It's important for me that the chickens are treated in a respectful way where they are happy. I would say I would give up eggs but they are in everything! (and I really love omelets ) I do eventually want to move away from all animal products and go vegan but it is hard for me now since the cafeteria is where i get my food from and their options for vegan meals is slim to none. They barely have meals that are vegetarian. I once almost ate a three bean chili that was labeled vegetarian but it had pork in it!
ReplyDeleteOne of the reasons I gave up meat was because of the meat industry. I also didn't eat meat that much anyways so I just decided to go without it.
I don't eat meat simply because I don't like the idea of eating something that was once a living animal. Although that is the reason I always give for not eating meat, I also feel better about not supporting meat industries with inhumane practices and to me that is another very good reason to not eat meat. I am uncertain about lab meat. I think I still don't know enough about it to feel comfortable eating it and I am perfectly happy living without meat, so I feel no desire to pursue lab meat. I do eat dairy products, but I am constantly conflicted about it. I only buy eggs that come from free range, pasture raised chickens, but once I graduate and become self-sufficient I will no longer be able to afford to do so. As part of my final project I am working on research in the area to find the cheapest pasture raised eggs. I'm making a chart of egg brands with regards to organic classifications, pasture raised/free range/cage free classifications, location of farms, prices, and local places to buy in an attempt continue supporting healthy egg farmers even on a tighter budget. Although I have not gone this far into research on milk, that is something that I would like to do very soon.
ReplyDeleteI choose to eat meat and other animal products for various reasons. This is a topic (like all other topics that we’ve discussed in class) is extremely multifaceted, and I hope i can break it down. I eat meat because of health reasons. I tried going vegetarian for awhile and fainted twice during the quarter without any prompt (i.e. I was hydrated). It’s part of my culture to make specific broths and dishes that include meat. Now, I do agree that I’ve always been uncomfortable with the sheer amount of red meat that US consumes. When I say meat is included in the dishes I’m used to my Mom making, I mean a very different quantity. A single chicken breast can make a stew that my family of four can eat for next couple days. All this being said, I do agree that the current meat industry is unjust and unsustainable. It has removed us from the food chain by industrially producing food. For me, what would be important is number 1. that the meat was alive at some point. So no, definitely not eating the laboratory produced meat. I’m part of the food chain, and my existence means death of something else, unfortunately. But when I die, my death will sustain another life. That’s the understanding I live with. That got tangential. 2. The animal is happy and in all possible senses, have felt alive. So free-range, grass-diet (if you are a cow), foraging, all that jazz is available to them. 3. That we somehow… beat it? This is a weird concept, and I hope I can explain it. But when we were hunter and gatherers, we ate what we caught. We caught the weaker animal, allowing the stronger to thrive and reproduce. And the weaker animal’s death is recognized, somehow.
ReplyDeletePreviously I mentioned that our current food system has removed us from the food chain. Something I don’t agree with is this idea that not eating animal or animal product is an inherently a more ethical decision. Yes, our current meat industry sucks. But not eating animal product isn’t going to solve that. And if we are to talk about injustice in the food system, how about the brown and the black bodies working to produce the crop? Not eating animals because an individual feels a more personal connection to animals is fine, but in the left there is an elitist attitude and narrative with food as a status symbol. The ability to chose what you eat is a privilege. To have economic means to purchase the type of food, having the time and skills to cook such food, all that are privileges not everyone has. Furthermore, we are not above the food chain nor can be excluded from it, no matter what we eat. We cannot remove ourselves from it. You can chose to become a “herbivore" as a human, but that’s not more ethical than eating meat.
Shameless late make-up post #1
ReplyDeleteEating meat is something that I think about quite often (mostly because I get really offended by holier-than-thou rhetoric that some of my vegan facebook friends seem to stick to).
I guess I feel offended sometimes because even I find meat eating difficult to justify. It seems just logical to do away with non-essential part of my diet in order to limit the amount of pain felt by the animal world. However I also think that pain and suffering is integral part of life. There is no life without death. My flesh once belonged to flesh of some other life form. When I die, my body will fall apart, into macronutrients that will be recycled through the system once again to become trees, bugs, and animals.
I think trying to isolated ourselves from the role of predator is too close to isolationism that we witness in Western society today- meat eating is, ethically, as messy as the nature itself. If we stopped eating meat just because we didn’t want to deal with the messy repercussion of existence, we are forcing ourselves inside even a smaller bubble, isolated from the natural world.
I believe that there are a lot of things missing in the way we process meat nowadays. We need to encourage ecological harvest of wild population, in a way that fosters growth and intensification of wildlife. We need to understand what it means to kill an animal, as to truly appreciate what their bodies can do for us. We need to minimize unnecessary suffering given to the animals for the sake of our own convenience.