Grass is Greener

The USDA recalling 143,383,823 pounds of ground beef the other day, was a poignant backdrop for Michael Pollan, touring author lecturing on his new book “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” – an excellent analysis of the ‘politics, perils and pleasures of eating’. Much more than just an analysis of the omnivore’s dilemma of ‘what to have for dinner’, this book is a sobering expose of our food supply in America, making many people rethink what they eat.

Pollan exposes our obscene dependence on corn, originally driven by cheap chemical fertilizers made available from re-directed munitions plants after WWII, amplified by greatly improved yield of hybrid seeds, and sustained by farm subsidies put in place by the Nixon administration. What to do with all that corn? Feed it to cattle. Only problem is that cattle didn’t evolve to digest corn, but rather grass. Unfortunately, grazing cattle doesn’t come close to providing the productivity and efficiencies of the modern American cattle feed lot, especially with that overabundance of good cheap corn.

I remember my father, a gentle, peaceful man, describing the pastoral French countryside, and how he slaughtered chickens on the farm where he spent his summers. It seemed a bit discordant to me, but sharpened much more into perspective after this book. Pollan, an avowed omnivore, describes his experience slaughtering chickens, on a farm dedicated to respect for their animals and mercy even in their sacrifice. He considers the true environmental (and ethical) costs of raising beef by means of unmerciful, modern American agribusiness, which are not at all reflected in the low price of beef at market. He also describes far ‘greener’ approach to raising beef on grass, in farms which cycle pastures between beef and chickens – actually leaving the farmland better for the wear.

Most of us omnivores usually look the other way when considering how meat comes to our table. But this recent beef recall underscores the urgent messages in Pollan’s book – there are better ways to use our land, resources and power, and more humane methods for producing healthier food, locally.

By the way, you can get grass-fed beef in a lot of places locally now. Though it is more expensive, it typically has no growth hormones and unnecessary antibiotics, and does not require unnecessary fossil fuel to transport (and warm the plant). Support your local farm!

A must-read, Pollan’s book reveals what most of us do not (and may not want to) know – but really should – about how the great American machine puts food on the table.