Submitted by: Submitted by Coquettesally
Views: 175
Words: 413
Pages: 2
Category: English Composition
Date Submitted: 09/20/2012 02:10 PM
Pastoral: Grass is a look into the different mindsets of organic farming. How it has
evolved from a hippie mindset, to a buzz word to a pastoral process. It seems that the idea has
branched off into different school of thought and this section of the book focuses not only on
grass and it’s place in the life cycle of all things but what it means to have a relationship to that
lifecycle.
Pollan begins his discussion on an idyllic farm that has a pervasive role in the whole
section. Salatin’s farm, Polyface has a symbiotic relationship between the animals and the
grass, which is the main focus because grass sustains life. Cows eat it, chickens feed off the bugs
left from the droppings and the droppings fertilize the fields. Everything works in harmony and
there is no need for antibiotics or pesticides. That seems to be the main focus of the organic
farmer if not the only focus to avoid using antibiotics and pesticides. The lifestyle difference of
the animals from what is considered organic and the pastoral process makes one reconsider
their options for dinner.
What does it mean to be organic? This section looks into what is really behind that
“organic” label. The author tracks down the sources of certified organic products only to find
they mirror the same protocols as industrial farming, sans the chemicals. Animals live in the
same close quarter living situations and are given certified because they are fed organic grains.
Cows are ruminents and therefore eat grasses not corn but because produces meat faster the
animals are subjected to an all grain diet. Free range refers to the chickens having “access to
the outdoors” meaning a small strip of fenced off yard the chickens do not even use. The
standards for organic farming have morphed into a loose guideline that even allows synthetic
materials to be used during processing. These facts are eye opening when given a view of how a
sustainable farm can work with the ecology of...