I have read both of the books you mentioned, and I believe Michael Pollan is very well informed about Agriculture.
As a farmer/cattleman, I certainly can identify things in his books to take issue with, but I think he has some valid concerns. I agree corn on corn practices can improve soil health, but the lack of rotation can also promote weed resistance.
As far as soil health, a lot of that depends on who is managing things. Small farms can be better or worse than large farms at maintaining fertility and soil organisms or reducing erosion or compaction. Just as Pollan covered the industrial organic farms and showed their faults (it's worth reading about), he gives us a fair assessment of where we could improve in modern ag production.
My take away from both of these books was this: We are very blessed to have access to cheap and plentiful food. Some producers misrepresent being sustainable for their own gain, but many in Ag are trying to be efficient and responsible stewards. We have to either use resources (fuel, fertilizer, chemicals), or be less productive (which has an environmental impact over more acres to get the same result as being more input-intensive).
Pollan challenges you to think, and not everyone is comfortable with that. But I enjoyed his perspective, and it helped me realize that those of us in Ag have to do a little damage so that we can all eat.
Upload one or more videos to your post. Photo and video filesizes should be less than 5MB. Formats allowed are gif, jpg, png, ogg, mp4, mov, and avi. Be sure to use filenames without spaces or special characters, and filetypes of 3 digits lower case.
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]
Today's Featured Article - New Life for an Old Allis - by Tyler Woods. My friend Jon, has an old '39 Allis Chalmers B. He thought it a marginal tractor that had long since served its time. She smoked terribly and never had much power but he couldn't afford another so he was limping along with what he had. Jon's Allis has a small front loader and though it doesn't carry much, it serves his needs. It was the hard starting and low power that made him think it was time to replace the old girl. Jon called me to help him discover why his tractor wouldn't start
... [Read Article]
Latest Ad:
Sell 1958 Hi-Altitude Massey Fergerson tractor, original condition. three point hitch pto engine, Runs well, photos available upon request
[More Ads]
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.