Monday, October 7, 2013

CLASSROOM CROWDSOURCING: Mr. James Maroney, "Takers," and "Totalitarian Agriculture" In Vermont


Read Seven Days article here.

Questions:

Josh: What do you believe explains why the farm industry is not profitable?

Andy: If people are content with buying cheap low grade products, how do we grab their attention?

Rachel: What sparked your interest in organic farming?

Katelyn: How do you think the organic industry (dairying and beyond) will change in the future?

Morgan: If most of our milk stays in Vermont, how would things be different?

Jack: Why does 95% of Vermont's milk go out of state currently?

Paige: If you could give one piece of advice to the world re: the environment, what would it be?

Eric: In what ways do you think American farming can shift back to the US, instead of trying to feed the world?

Vince: What is the balance needed to support population and local farmers?

Mitch: Why are we so concerned with the issue of world hunger, esp. when the percentage America produces is just a fraction of the whole number?

Madelyn: What is the best option to actively clean Lake Champlain?

Brandon: How much food is a realistic goal to produce within state?

Sarah: What are the dangers of small farms disappearing and leaving our food production in the hands of giant corporations?

Sophia: What will happen to the state of Vermont if farming continues to decline?

Nicole: What would you suggest to keep the food growing in Vermont to stay here?

Megan: Since people are resistant to living locally, do you think promoting organic food is a proper alternative?

Drew: Why can't we drop prices of organic food, if everyone needs it?

Chris: Which state is the "greenest" state? Was Vermont ever the "greenest" state?

Corey: What do you suggest a poor college kid like myself do to afford to eating organic?

Holly: What are the differences between Right-leaning and Left-leaning farmers?

Jamie: How can we non-farming consumers best help our local farmers?

Anthony: Could the interdisciplinary education of ecology and economy connect and support and move forward this agenda?

Revelations:

Josh: Since the 1940s, Vermont dairy farms have decreased from 11,000 to under 900.

Andy: 95% of Vermont's milk goes out of state.

Paige: Vermonters spend 95% of their food dollars on imported food.

Eric: We are adjusting the Earth to our agriculture, not adjusting our agriculture to the Earth.

Vince: Despite the best efforts of the law, the Vermont government had done nothing to enforce regulations on farmers.

Rachel: Farming and agriculture is the single biggest source of "nonpoint source" pollution in Vermont.

Katelyn: Maroney argues that Vermonters should focus on feeding ourselves more locally, rather than feeding the world's soon-to-be 9 billion people (because, he implied, its not our responsibility.)

Morgan: Only 3 Vermont dairies that bottle and sell their own milk locally.

Sarah: Organic farming pays farmers double and it cuts amount of pollution in half.

Sophia: 100% of milk made in Vermont leaves Vermont, and only 5% of the milk comes back.

Nicole: If all the farming in Vermont stops, the rest of the world won't be affected.

Mitch: Petroleum is a key ingredient in fertilizers.

Madelyn: $140 million spent annually on cleaning Lake Champlain and watershed.

Brandon/Drew: Laws are strict re: water quality, but enforcement is underfunded and passive.

Megan: 80% of Vermont agriculture is dairy.

Chris: Shocked - Vermont isn't as "green" as we perceive it to be.

Corey: Agriculture is exempt from environmental laws, and is often forgotten about with re: to global warming.

Holly: Only 2% of Americans are farmers.

Jamie: Often times, the problems of Vermont are about making the Earth benefit us.

Anthony: Economic system focuses on concerns of producer and consumer, instead of ecological responsibility.

Jack: 25% of all purchased food goes in the trash.











Questions:


No comments:

Post a Comment