Chapters 10 and 11 Omnivore's Dilemma

In part two of The Omnivore’s Dilemma Pollan goes to a farm in Virginia and learns a lot from the owner on how a farm should be ran. Specifically in chapter ten he focuses on the grass part of a farm and how crucial the grass is for the animals. The farmer says that the quality of the grass and fertilization determines the quality of the food whether it be animals or vegetables. This being the basis of his operation, he developed a plan that makes the grass perfect and always in good health. His plan is to balance grazing, fertilizing and rest to make sure the land isn’t destroyed and actually improves the quality of it. Then in chapter eleven he talks about the animals of the farm and how they contribute to the cycle. He rotates the cows everyday to a fresh pasture of grass and has the chickens follow to sanitize the pasture. This strategy works for him very well because he can produce tons of food without hurting the land. If he did want to expand the land wouldn’t be able to take it and eventually run out of important nutrients.
Both of these chapters had a lot of details on how he keeps his farm in good health without using artificial chemicals or fertilizers. It’s amazing that he thought up this system to get the best from the grass without hurting it and that he is able to do this all year long. It makes me wonder if other small non industrialized farms are doing the same thing or if they are just damaging the land, leading into unusable land in the future. In a way it seems the farmer is improving his land by using this system which can only lead to a future of more and more foods that he can sell.