American Meat: Documenting How We Farm Meat

Thanks to a tip from Mili, on Tuesday I went to a screening of “American Meat,” a documentary showcasing the way we raise pigs, cows and chickens for meat. The filmmakers visited a number of farms to showcase the different growing practices of both large industrial farms and smaller pasture farms. Ultimately, the film advocates for the smaller farms, highlighting their lessened environmental impact, the better treatment of their animals and the improved taste of the meat that comes from these farms.

While watching, the doc reminded me very much of Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan’s 2006 book on the food industry in America. (Filmmaker Graham Meriwether later explained that he was inspired by Pollan’s book.) But unlike similar movies about industrial farming, “American Meat” isn’t overly aggressive in its takedown of industrial farming. Meriwether said he wanted to focus on the farming practices rather than the farmers — according to him, the farmers aren’t evil, the system is the issue. Because of this, the movie isn’t too preachy or over-the-top, which is nice for people who are wary of sermonizing.

What struck me most afterwards was how doable it seems to move to a majority grass-fed system for raising livestock. There is ample land to raise enough animals to feed America’s healthy appetite for meat, but the biggest missing resource is human capital. Industrial farming is virtually labor-free (one of the farmers in the movie says it takes him just a few hours to monitor his thousands of pigs), as it relies on huge amounts of money invested in machinery, feed and ultimately, fossil fuels to power its system. But as the movie explains, while pasture farming is a monetarily inexpensive way to farm, since it requires little machinery, it is extremely labor-intensive, and there are not a lot of farmers out there to begin with, much less farmers willing to work as often and as hard as is required to run a pasture farm.

After the screening, there was a brief panel discussion with well-known local chefs and butchers: Mary Cleaver of Cleaver Co. and The Green Table, Jake Dickson of dickson’s farmstead meats, Bill Telepan of Telepan and Tom Mylan of The Meat Hook. Obviously much of the talk focused on taste, and how pasture-raised meat offers more depth of flavor and more richness than “conventional”* meat. To me, that should be pasture farming’s biggest selling point — the taste — since it’s a very tangible benefit, as opposed to the more invisible benefits of “more omega-3’s in grass-fed beef” and “less of a carbon footprint”, etc.

After the screening, Megha and I went to a bar to chat with the panelists and filmmakers. Since I wasn’t taking notes then, Meriwether re-responded to my questions in an email interview this week, and I’ve added them here:

How did you get interested in farming and the meat industry?

An interest in farming began after a weekend working on a friend’s farm, Balsam Farms, out in Long Island. I worked on the weekends for two summers, getting paid $10/hr and getting as much free produce as could be carried home on the LIRR. It was a wonderful experience, and has planted the seed of wanting to have a farm in the future. The interest in the meat industry comes from reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma in 2006-2007, and then spending extended periods of time filming with the Salatin family in 2007-2008. The interest grew as we spent more time on different types of farms over the next few years.

What struck you most when going out to the industrial farms? What about the pasture farms?

What struck me most about industrial farms was two-fold. First, and foremost, I was absolutely inspired by the work ethic and good-hearted nature of the people working on these farms. Secondly, the smell was overwhelming, especially on the hog farms. All those animals in one place means a lot of manure, which means a lot of strong smell. It overwhelms the senses, and it is hard to imagine walking through those barns, breathing that in every day. It makes the work of our large-scale farmers even more difficult.

Pasture-based farms are very different depending on the region. At a place like Polyface, one is overwhelmed by the beauty of the different seasons, the lush pasture of spring, the changing leaves of autumn. Chickens, pigs and cattle are raised outside, following some of their natural behavior patterns. Perhaps most beautiful are the hogs eating acorns in the forest during fall. Winter is often another story.

In talking to the farmers, how did they perceive the issues of raising meat in America? Do they look at it from an environmental issue? A money issue? A health issue? A taste issue? (Or do they not see it as an issue at all?)

Many farmers are raising animals because that’s what they’ve grown up doing. It’s ingrained in the culture of the family, and the rural community. The grass-based farmers are often people who have recently come into farming, people like George Vojkovich or Richard Morris, who changed careers because farming offered spiritual and health benefits.

How can the average person get involved?

Everyone can visit a farm or a garden! There are community gardens all across cities and suburbs throughout America. If you have access to a car, subway, train, bike or are up for a good hike, there are plenty of farms that everyone in America can visit. Get out there and go to a farm, it will be a good time.

What do you think the next step is in raising awareness about pasture-raised meat?

It’s going to happen meal by meal. Have a friend or family member over, cook a meal together with some food raised by a local farmer, talk about your day, about the food. Change happens meal by meal.

Overall, I really enjoyed the movie, and think it’s a great way for people who are curious about this topic to get a good primer on farming practices and the meat industry. If you’re interested in learning more (or seeing it firsthand), check out their website!

*One thing that always strikes me as weird: the pesticide use and confinement techniques that define industrial agriculture has really only been around for the past 60 or so years. Before that, the large majority of American agriculture was on chemical-free pasture farms. So shouldn’t that be labeled “conventional,” since that’s what we always used to do?