The Omnivore's Dilemma Chapter 11: The Animals

In chapter eleven of The Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollan focuses on the details of how Polyface Farm raises its animals. Industrial farming runs on the basis of producing extremely large quantities of one product through monocultures, which require the assistance of man-made chemicals (antibiotics, hormones, etc.) to keep them from collapsing. On Joel Salatin's farm; however, all of the animals and plants live in a single ecological system where these symbiotic relationships between organisms are essential to producing efficient, yet high-quality food.

The chapter explores these symbiotic relationships more closely. Of these relationships, Pollan puts the spotlight on the cows and chickens. As the cows graze, they leave behind waste. The waste then provides food to the chickens that in turn produce waste that fertilizes the soil. This fertilized soil allows for grass to grow and feeds the cows. Although this loop is much more complicated than what I described it to be, it ultimately generates excellent beef and eggs without the use of any chemicals, drugs, etc. In fact, every component of the farm (even the forest) plays an important role in this amazing cycle of raising and producing food.

Though natural farms like Polyface can be very efficient, they require a lot more man power than the labor required at an industrial farm, as Pollan describes from first-hand experience. This raises the questions: is this type of farm practical on a large scale? and if so, would it be able to compare to the colossal system of industrial food production?