Presenter: MeganUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The slides to follow will serve as prompted discussion questions to be answered while watching the

video “Fresh.”

Allow for a 3-4 minute discussion for each question.

Do you think Americans fear inconvenience (in regards to food)?

What types of questions do you ask yourself when you’re buying various types of food products

from the market place?

Is it right to grow animals in monocultures? The video claims

that it’s not natural for animals to be raised in monocultures and that this technique is only possible due

to the use of antibiotics.

What is a conventional farmer described as? What is your take on

a conventional farmer?

Livestock production is said to have now been industrialized into big

factory corporations. This has left places like Iowa & Illinois growing mainly corn and soybeans. Do you

believe this to be a fair solution that makes sense in our society?

There is said to be a pollution problem on feedlots & fertility

problems on the field—how do you suppose these problems could be

fixed? Do you think industrial corporations would back-up your

proposal?

Do industrial companies have an “obsession” with producing more

and more cheap products?

Does the industrialized world care about the animals being processed (think about both the consumers &

the farmers for this question)?

Do you think that farmers now-a-days have enough “ecology

understanding?”

In the video, it is stated that the chickens are “fellow workers.” They

not only lay eggs, but they also pick out fly larvae (they debug and

find worms). Have you ever thought of a chicken’s role in this

way? Why or why not?

Does industry display the right values (when working with

animals)? Do they have enough creativity in their work?

Does it seem like industrialization is more concerned about efficiency

or convenience? Are these two aspects the same in any regards?

What are your thoughts/knowledge on “organic?”

In the video, one farmer stated that he hasn’t planted seed or sprayed an ounce of chemical

fertilizer onto his field for 50 years now. Do you think it’s possible for large corporations to follow this

farmer’s practices?

Is cheap food really cheap? In what aspects is this statement false?

In your daily experiences, do you find it easy to find “fresh” food (do

you have access to healthy, sustainable food)? Where do you

expect to find this food?

As a developing Green Gardener, do you believe in “growing a movement?” Do

you think it’s at all possible? Try to think of an example of how YOU would

implement a movement of your own (think of a vision that you might want to implement). Do you think others would

be interested in growing you movement? When would you like to implement this

idea of yours?

The President of the National Family Farm Coalition is a conventional farmer. He claims

that people who are conventional farmers will switch back to growing organically when they

are basically financially secure. He believes that these farmers have “done what they have to do to survive” even if their practices are not good

for society. How do you feel about this reason—explain why. Should they rightfully follow these

practices due to the circumstances?

What are the pros and cons of the “Good Natured Family Farm?” They believe they are trying to

sustain consumer choice.

Every decision that we make at the market has an impact—we are

essentially voting with our dollar. After watching this movie, will you change your practices, or will you

continue to buy goods the way you have been? Explain why.

Thank You to everyone who participated in this really amazing discussion! Your input was both valuable & much appreciated.