Blog #7: Fresh (2009)

 "Americans fear only one thing. Inconvenience."

Fresh, a documentary directed by Ana Sofia Joanes, released in April of 2009, provides an inside look into the agricultural world often hidden away from Americans. The film discusses the importance of changing the farming community to support farmers, the environment, and consumers. This film highlights the value of sustainable farming and enriching everyday consumers with the knowledge behind their produce. This film captivated me, but beyond that, the film pushed me to further research what my family and I consume daily. 

Joel Salatin  Image Source

Joel Salatin
Sustainable Farmer located in Swoope, Virginia

Did I fall in love with Joel Salatin and want to immediately pack my bags and move to his farm? Yes, and yes. 

Joel Salatin is a generational farmer practicing sustainable farming. His philosophy is simple: let animals be animals, and you will reap the following benefits. His personality shines through this documentary; he is eclectic and down to earth. His farming practices are worth praise. Salatin allows his cows to live joyous lives and do as they would do anywhere else on the earth. He keeps his cows constantly moving as nature intended rather than forcing them into factory-like farming. He emphasizes the need for cows to be grass-fed and highlights how industries oftentimes feed cows...dead cows. This results in the contamination of meats that consumers are taking home and feeding to their families. He explains throughout the documentary that the only way we can flourish in society is to treat our animals with respect and humility. He implores the audience to shift their perspective of how they view animals and food to truly understand the intention that comes with farming. His farm, the Polyface farm, is a chemical-free and organic farm that produces meat with value. This man is single-handedly changing the perception of farmers and illuminating the potential for growth that the farming community has. 

Salatin says, "Part of what we have to do as stewards of the earth is respect the design of nature."

When talking about the dangers of adding chemicals to crops and introducing them to livestock as well, Professor John Ikerd said something that struck a nerve. He states, 

"We can tip the balance of nature to a certain extent, but when we try to tip it too far, it creates problems, and I think that's what we've done in the food system. That's what we've done in our overall economy, that's what we've done in our society - and we're facing the inevitable consequences."

This documentary is a reminder of how cruel the food industry is and how little is shared with its consumers. The director of this film gave us the tip of the iceberg of how horrifying the food industry really is and how it affects the consumer, the ecosystem, society, and ANIMALS. Beyond opening the door to its audience to further research what comes home with us from the grocery store, it provides HOPE. Farmers like my future husband, Joel Salatin, are giving us hope. Hope that even simple changes in our diets and who we support as consumers is a change that is needed to make. I watched this film alone once and knew I had to share it. My future ex-husband and best friend sat on the couch with me and watched this movie. It sparked so many conversations on making simple changes to support sustainable/local farmers in our town. 

As for me, an education major, my future ex-husband, a psychology major, and my best friend, also an education major, we are currently spending the rest of our Saturday night trying to think of how we can purchase our own farms. 

I implore you to watch this film.

Fresh. Directed by Ana Sofia Joanes, Ripple Effect Films, April 2009. 

You can find it on Pluto TV, Tubi, The Roku Channel, Amazon Prime Video, Kanopy, and Apple TV.