Entry #7: Fresh, a Look into Industrial Agriculture

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     As the population in America grows, we keep looking for increasingly convenient and cheap ways to keep up with it. From things like toys and technology to essentials like food and clothes, people have sought out ways to get the most of what they can in a short amount of time, even if it means prioritizing quantity over quality. The 2009 movie "Fresh" aims to give us a deep dive into one of these categories, showing us how the industrial revolution has affected the farming and food industry as a whole. Throughout the film, we are offered a look into numerous different kinds of farms, from animal to crop, and corporate to family. We get to see and hear firsthand what industrial farming has done to the quality and longevity of our systems.

    Nowadays, much of the food we consume is filled with all kinds of chemicals, pesticides, and antibiotics. Whether that be the meat we consume or something processed like cereal. Not only that but since the 1960's, the nutrients in our food has depleted as well. These are both facts given to us by the film before they explain the reasons as to why, and show us some of the bigger issues related to the industrial farming industry.

    In order to maximize profits, companies want to make the most amount of food that they can in the least amount of time, and they don't care how. This means densely filled cages and lots stuffed to the brim with animals, running rife with disease and pumped full of cheaply produced feed to make them grow bigger faster. Fields are covered with pesticides and artificial fertilizer because the soil has run dry of nutrients. These problems are all caused by the standards of industrial farming, and family farms that do things the way nature intended — planting compatible crops together, simulating a more natural environment for the animals that copies their "cycle" in nature — show that it's much healthier for the plants, animals, and earth and produces much better results than factory farming can.

    Many Americans are extremely separated from the process of where their food comes from. They don't stop to think about it, they only focus on what's in front of them. Most won't question it, or they go as far as to say they don't want to know where their food came from, whether it be from a cow or crop. This mindset is what allows the problem of industrial farming to continue, and it's something we need to wake up from. It's important to know how we get our food and where it comes from because it affects more than just us — it affects the earth too. The current method for mass food production is unsustainable and unhealthy, and more Americans need to realize this so we can work together to make a change.

    The film mentions something very important near the end; voting with your dollar. What this means is that to make the change we want to make, we need to put our money where our mouth is. In this circumstance, that would mean looking into where you buy your food from and making sure to buy from the most sustainable source. Doing this means your money is funding these industries to continue producing and giving less to the unethical factory farms, which in turn, sends a message about what you want to happen. 

    It's never too late to make a change, so start now. Watch the film and do your own research. Learn more about the effects that industrial farming has on the environment and the products it creates, and start voting with your dollar. Even if you think you won't make a difference, one person is still a step to many more, and if enough band together, we can all initiate a change.