Delineate an Argument Practice - Omnivore's Dilemma

In chapter 11 Michael Pollan implies the central claim that industrial organic food is better than industrially raised food, yet it still has negative impacts on human health and the environment.

Select TWO supporting points for this claim.

• Industrial organic farming is the most sustainable food system consumers can choose.

• ​​​​​​​Research has proven that industrial organic food and industrial food use similar amounts of pesticides in their practices.

• Although better for the environment overall, industrial organic food still uses many fossil fuels, which have a negative impact on the environment.

• ​​​​​​​Industrial organic food is better for you and the environment because it contains fewer pesticides than conventionally grown food.

Point #1: Industrial organic food is better for you and the environment because it contains fewer pesticides than conventionally grown food.

Select one piece of evidence to support this point.

• Chemicals from pesticides used on conventionally grown food have been proven to cause cancer.

• Pesticide use became widespread in the 1950s, after chemicals used in World War II were found effective for pest control on crops.

• Very little research has been done to determine the effects of low levels of these poison.

• More research on the herbicide Atrazine, and its effects on humans, is needed.

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Point #2: Although better for the environment overall, industrial organic food still uses many fossil fuels, which have a negative impact on the environment.

Choose a piece of relevant evidence to support this.

• Soils of industrial farms are often lifeless because the pesticide use strips them of compounds called polyphenols.

• Most of the fossil fuels used in the food industry are for processing andtransporting food, rather than growing it

• Industrial organic farming uses fewer sustainable practices, like renewable energy, than any other food system.

• Industrial organic food is produced with less energy and fossil fuels than any other food system.

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In chapter 5, Michael Pollan implies the central claim that raising cows in an industrial setting is a terrible way to raise beef.

Select one supporting point for this claim.

• ​​​​​​​A cow’s digestive system has evolved to eat grass, yet cows are fed a corn-based diet because it fattens them up quickly.

• Bison and the prairie grasses lived together in a partnership for thousands of years, but that changed with the development of industrial farming.

• ​​​​​​​Cows have a specialized stomach called a rumen.

• Cows spread grass seed, plant it with their hooves, and fertilize it with their manure.

Point #1: A cow’s digestive system has evolved to eat grass, yet cows are fed a corn-based diet because it fattens them up quickly.

Select one piece of relevant evidence for this point.

• ​​​​​​​“Cattle raised on grass simply take longer to grow than cattle raised on corn” (63).

• ​​​​​​​“Only certain animals, including cows, sheep, goats, and bison, can make a meal out of grass” (64).

• ​​​​​​​“The bacteria break down the cell walls of the grass and allow the cows to get at the protein and carbohydrates within” (64).

• ​​​​​​​“On the plains of the American west, where steer 534 was born, bison and the prairie grasses lived together in a partnership for thousands of years” (65).

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RICH FIELDS, POOR FARMERS

"The industrial food chain makes some people very rich. Big agribusiness companies take in billions of dollars in profit. Yet one person who is not getting rich from the mountain of corn is the American farmer. George Naylor is all but going broke. . ."

What is the author's purpose for wring this?

• to explain the business of agriculture to readers

• to promote the importance of corn and soybean crops

• to convince readers that farmers are trapped in poverty

• to analyze why farmers do not understand agribusiness

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