Presenter : Megan University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

1. Presenter: Megan University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

2. 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.

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

4. What types of questions do you ask yourself when you’re buying various types of food products from the market place?

5. 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.

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

7. 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?

8. 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?

9. Do industrial companies have an “obsession” with producing more and more cheap products?

10. Does the industrialized world care about the animals being processed (think about both the consumers & the farmers for this question)?

11. Do you think that farmers now-a-days have enough “ecology understanding?”

12. 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?

13. Does industry display the right values (when working with animals)? Do they have enough creativity in their work?

14. Does it seem like industrialization is more concerned about efficiency or convenience? Are these two aspects the same in any regards?

15. What are your thoughts/knowledge on “organic?”

16. 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?

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

18. 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?

19. 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?

20. 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?

21. What are the pros and cons of the “Good Natured Family Farm?” They believe they are trying to sustain consumer choice.

22. 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.

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