Raw milk fresh from the farm! (Photo Credit: Chiot’s Run)
The documentary Farmageddon begins with a mother on a quest for healthier food to feed her child who has trouble with allergies. She finds out that his allergy symptoms are no longer a problem after she starts feeding him raw milk from a local farm. Her endeavor to search for local, healthy foods to feed her family leads her to find out much more than she expected, and this documentary shows how local food production across America and the freedom to buy fresh, local food may be in danger.
The first story in this film is about a family of sheep farmers that have their entire flock of sheep taken and slaughtered on suspicion of the flock being infected with mad cow disease. This all turned out to be untrue, and no case of mad cow disease has ever been reported in sheep. Farmageddon documents several stories similar to this, where produce and equipment are confiscated and thrown out by government agencies.
The film poses a very important question: why is this happening in 21st century America? Americans should have a say in where their food comes from, and should be able to choose local food over industrialized, processed food. Despite the unfortunate and unfair incidences in this film, Farmageddon has an optimistic tone toward the future. Consumers can make choices in their own lives that favor the movement toward healthy, local food.
Yardfarming is the perfect way to have your own say in the food you eat. You can personalize your garden and know exactly how your food is grown and harvested. And if you can convince your neighbors to yardfarm too, it won’t be too many seasons before a local agricultural economy can start to bloom in your community.
Grazing Cows (Photo Credit: Iamcopphis)