Omnivore's Dilemma Blog 3

At the beginning of chapter 11 Michael Pollan talks about how farmers wakeup before the sun and finish their chores before breakfast, or with out coffee for that matter. His description reminded me of a time when I was in third grade. We had a field trip to Pioneer Farms, a little tiny pioneer village, complete with a few cabins, no electricity, a barn or two, and farm animals. For a few days my classmates and I lived the pioneer life. We had to wake up early and learned how to milk, feed, and bathe animals, bale hay, and numerous other pioneer-like activities. His description of life on the farm sounded very similar to life on Pioneer Farms; hard work, early in the morning.

In chapter 8 Pollan compares the Naylor farm to the Polyface farm. I thought this was a very interesting and informative comparison. The items he lists help to differentiate two very different types of farms through out the United States. I think that it is important to understand that different farms operate in different ways. This understanding should encourage non farmers to believe that not all farms are the same, and it's important not to generalize about farmers or where food comes from. When comparing these two types of farms, it's clear that the Naylor farm is more industrious and perhaps more efficient, while the Polyface farm is more nature loving and domestically oriented. I think both types of farms are important, as well as having farms in between. This allows for a varied economy.