Two Sides to Every Story

Two Sides to Every Story: Meatrix vs. Smithfield – Case Study Write out the answers to all questions on a separate sheet of notebook paper. It should be neatly written and well-organized!! Standards D – 1,2,3,4,5 LQ’s: 1. How has agriculture become industrialized? 2. Why has agriculture become industrialized? 3. What arguments can be made for industrial agriculture? 4. What arguments can be made for sustainable agriculture ?

***During the course of your investigation, answer the four LQ’s… 1. 2. 3. 4. Side One: The Meatrix…. The argument for sustainable agriculture 1) http://www.gracelinks.org/1117/welcome-to-sustainable-table Read the Introduction. Then click on the picture of the barn with the caption “the issues”. On the issue page, you will find the answers to the following questions.  What is sustainable agriculture? Give some examples of sustainable agriculture.  Explain the three steps to sustainability.  How does eating well and buying sustainable agricultural products benefit both the producers and consumers? 2) http://www.gracelinks.org/859/industrial-livestock-production  Read the articles on this page.  According to this article, what are the elements of factory and industrial farming?  How does the factory/industrial farm effect… The animals:

The consumer:

The community/ environment:

3) http://www.gracelinks.org/869/impacts-of-industrial-agriculture

According to these articles, what are the issues with factory farming? (Click on each picture to get the details!) 4) Go back to the homepage listed in question 1 above. On the right hand side click on Meatrix.

 Click on the Meatrix 360 Interactive Farm on the left side menu. As you view the factory farm, make a list below of allegations about the industrial (factory) farm of today.  Using the information you have gathered so far, create a chart comparing industrial/factory farming to sustainable farming. You can use any type of graphic organizer to summarize positive and negative effects of each type of agriculture. 5) On the website, there are several suggestions for how you can support sustainable agriculture. Make a list of these suggestions and then put a star or a circle around the ones that you could actually do. Choose at least one action step to try next week.

6) Go to the Meatrix website and watch the videos: Meatrix, II, II ½. On occasion the Meatrix site may be blocked from school so you may need to watch it from home or on your personal mobile device.

Side Two: Smithfield Ham… producing for millions. http://smithfield.com/ What kind of impression do you get about Smithfield Corporation from it’s front page on its web site? Explain why. 1) On the top menu, click on About Us. On the left menu click on learn more about our hog farms. There are several short videos. Watch a few. How does the Smithfield hog farm treat its livestock? Give examples from the videos. Compare the videos of Smithfield farms to the Interactive Factory Farm on the Meatrix site and make a list of direct comparisons.

2) http://www.smithfieldfoods.com/

Smithfield’s slogan is “Good Food. Responsibly” . Click on the three different menu choices on the left side. After investigating this company, create a list of specific ways that Smithfield lives up to its slogan. 3) Smithfield also claims to be a sustainable food organization. What have you found on this web site to support this claim?

3) Which Food Network celebrity endorses Smithfield? Why does she like their product? Do you think she is an effective spokesperson for Smithfield? Why or why not?

4) http://www.smithfieldfoods.com/our-commitments/

Scroll to the bottom of the page where Smithfield’s commitments are listed. Investigate Smithfield’s policies on antibiotics, growth hormones, and other additives. Click on the Animal Care icon and other icons to find out how sustainable their food products are. Summarize what you find. Defend the Smithfield corporation in terms of high yield production and ethics.

5) After reviewing the Smithfield website (look at “Why we’re proud to be Smithfield Foods” and “Take a Tour”), summarize aspects of Smithfield Foods that would be evidence to refute the accusations made against factory and industrial farming (The Meatrix).

6) http://springermountainfarms.com/Merchant5/merchant.mvc? Screen=cp_farming_practices click on the link above and check out this local farm-jot down a few facts about their products If you were a federal farm inspector, how would you classify this farming operation? What type of certification would you give it? http://www.fda.gov/Food/default.htm (this site might help) For further information and to go “Above and Beyond” check out the “Fast Food Nation” website, Food, Inc. website, the USDA website, and any other resources you found links to during your investigation! Add any new info or facts you find along with the source of the information. BE READY FOR A SOCRATIC SEMINAR ON THESE ISSUES!! Don’t forget to go back and answer the LQ’s (learning questions).