Janelle Sims Blog #4

The excerpts from “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” this week shed a more positive light on the organic farming industry as opposed to previous chapters that have been read thus far. Admittingly, I am guilty of mocking organic food companies on account of their stereotyped poor-tasting entrees. In this reading, Pollan challenged that very skepticism through an unannounced visit to the healthy and “sustainable” Polyface farm.
In fact, the company celebrates the idea that “(they) do not call themselves organic- (they) call themselves ‘beyond organic.’” The company’s comparison to a “modern-day Indian” seemed mildly dramatic at a first read. However, once the explanation complimented their reasoning, I found a respect for the brand. “Just because we can ship lettuce from the Salinas Valley, or organic cut flowers from Peru, doesn’t mean we should do it, not if we’re really serious about energy and seasonality and bioregionalism” (Pollan 133).
Polyface’s commitment to rejuvenating the Earth as well as human health is apparent in chapter ten especially. Using the “S curve” and natural essence of sun energy demonstrated the farm’s choice to not take the “easy way out.” By the end of his visit on Tuesday afternoon, Pollan distinguished the fact that he had different views from Joel, a Polyface staff member. Pollan understood that one cannot just do “one thing” to the environment; all life is connected and codependent on another species. Because of this realization, I think his scientific questioning was turned into a partial reality check of a new perspective on the world, which can be even more impactful than mere statistics or data sometimes.