Sustainability Freshman Inquiry

Oct. 21, 2009

Jeff Fletcher

Logistics I

• Assignments– HW3 return.– Read for next Monday

• Omnivore Chapters 10 to 12• Loder, N., Finkel, e., Meisner, C., and Ronald, P.,

2008. The problem of what to eat. Conservation Magazine, 9(3).

– you can ignore comments at end (just print first 9 pages)

– HW4, due this Monday

Logistics II

• Fieldtrip Week next Wednesday, Oct. 28 1-3 Tryon Farms – will meet at 12:20, leave at 12:30 sharp!!– Sliding scale $3-5

• One-on-one meetings this week and next– What happened?!– Sign up sheet– Meetings are at my office

• Harder House 201, SW 10th and SE Market

• Movie Night in Ondine Lobby– King Corn Tuesday Oct. 27

• Mentor Session Today– Organizing an essay around a clear thesis and topic sentences– Exercies based on Svankmajer’s short film “Lunch”

Exercise Questions1. What was the original definition of “organic” food?

2. Why does Joel Salatin consider “industrial organic” to be a contradiction in terms?

3. Do you think that the term “industrial organic” really is a contradiction in terms? Why or why not?

4. What are some of the differences between “Big” and “Small” organic?

5. What are some of the negative consequences of industrial organic farming techniques, in terms of soil health?

6. What is “beyond organic”?

7. What are some of the positive consequences of large-scale organic farming? What are some of the negative effects?

8. If you had to write a realistic definition of what organic food should be, what would it say?

What Qualifies as Organic Food?

• Organic is what the government says it is

• USDA regulates the definitions

• Government does not directly label food as “Organic”

• Instead, the USDA certifies accrediting agencies through the National Organic Program

• European Union similar

• Pollan p. 131 (comparative lists)

US Government Definitions

• National Organic Program http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/ams.fetchTemplateData.do?template=TemplateA&navID=NationalOrganicProgram&leftNav=NationalOrganicProgram&page=NOPNationalOrganicProgramHome&acct=nop– What do you notice about this website?

• Organic Food Production Act of 1990• Certified Organic• 7 C.F.R. Part 205

http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=9f7d238c82480a19673ba270678268f6&rgn=div5&view=text&node=7:3.1.1.9.31&idno=7

What qualifies as “Local?”

• What is a small farm? What is an industrial farm?

• How many head of cattle?

• How many acres of corn, grass, soy?

• What plant diversity is required?

• What income? USDA $5,000?

• What radius of distribution? 100 miles? http://100milediet.org/get-started/map Eugene, Olympia, The Dalles.

Case study #1: Polyface Farm

• Joel Salatin video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIbXU5iR2P4

Case Study #2: Abundant Life Farm (Dallas, Oregon)

• Abundant Life Farm (Oregon) http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M3686

• http://www.veoh.com/videos/v14930416rdD3sj8g

• What did you notice about the chicken coops? (Pollan, pages 126-127)

• How much land did the pigs require?• What did the fences look like?• How big were the cattle?• How do they sell their products?

Pig FarmIndustrial or Local? Organic or Not? How can you tell?

Broiler ChickensIndustrial or Local? Organic or Not? How can you tell?

Cows

• What are they eating?• How much land do the need?• How much do they weigh?

Industrial or Local? Organic or Not? How can you tell?

Social Engineering

Agriculture

Social Engineering

• Policy: Legislation, regulation, standards & guidance.

• Economic or Financial Stimulus: Subsidies, creating markets, pricing, grants and loans, investments.

• Technology: Encouraging inventions, adoption of new technology, implementation on a wide scale.

Social Engineering in AgricultureA mini - exercise

Write down one of each of the following:

• Examples of Agriculture Policies

• Examples of Technologies in Agriculture

• Examples of Financing in Agriculture

Social Engineering in Agriculture

• Examples of agriculture policies– Industrial agriculture (Butz)– USDA definitions & certifications of organic foods

• Examples of technologies– King Corn – plant 1 acre in 18 min– GM crops– GPS/Satellite auto-steering (fertilizer, fuel costs)– Soil, nutrient sensors– Feedlots, antibiotics

• Examples of Financing– Public funds make the difference for a corn farmer– Private/ventures in biotech, – agribusiness (Cargill, ADM, Unilever)

Discussion Questions

• Do we have effective social engineering targeted to increase production and consumption of Organic food? Should we?

• Do we have social engineering targeted to increase production and consumption of Local foods? Should we?

• What about water & energy needs?• What about land use?• Who will do the work of local farming?

Lunch