We watched the documentary Food, Inc. over the weekend. It is a depressing look at our food supply. Many parts of it were difficult to watch although I think it is important for everyone to know what’s in the food we eat and how it is raised. One of the more dramatic parts of the movie was when they showed the chicken growing farms. A normal chicken grows to maturity in 80 – 90 days. The chicken farmers they showed said their chickens reached that stage in 45 days. The downside is they grow so fast their bones can keep up with their weight growth and some of them couldn’t walk.
There was one farmer who was demonstrating how he could farm using sustainable measures. His cows grazed on grass. Chickens turned over the cows’ manure and pigs composted the winter droppings. It was inspiring in the sense that he was actually doing it, but sad to note that there aren’t many like him out there.
