Bryce Richards
Bio 122
Professor Eppinga
April 16, 2024
The Unsettling of America
In the book The Unsettling of America, Wendell Berry dives deep into the relationship between modern industrial agriculture in America and environmental and rural communities. Berry believes that these new forms of agriculture practice are hurting our environment and are leading to a higher rate of cancer and other problems in our communities. He argues that farmers need to practice and return to a smaller scale of farming, one that is sustainable to the environment and one that is safer for our health. Berry explores the interconnectedness of land, culture, and economy and really shows the importance of land stewardship. He argues and critiques the new “bigger style” of technology and farming and also explains why the large cultural shift has led us to not only harmful agricultural practices, but general lifestyles. …show more content…
He explains that big farmers are becoming monopolies and buying out small farms which is leading to loss of jobs and overall hurting our economy, with the underlying condition that these new technological practices are hurting our environment and way of living. Land that used to be waterways and pastures are now being plowed for crops. Crop rotation is being practiced less and less. This will cause the use of more chemicals, increase the price of land, increase the overhead cost of farming which in turn will lead to diminishing farms. With the increased use of technology, it will require more hybrid corn, which will in turn, use more fossil fuels. With farm estates losing money, buying a new farm would be ignorant because it can’t pay for itself. Farmers now struggle to preserve their place and values in which they live against the government agencies which use their own tax money against
Bio 122
Professor Eppinga
April 16, 2024
The Unsettling of America
In the book The Unsettling of America, Wendell Berry dives deep into the relationship between modern industrial agriculture in America and environmental and rural communities. Berry believes that these new forms of agriculture practice are hurting our environment and are leading to a higher rate of cancer and other problems in our communities. He argues that farmers need to practice and return to a smaller scale of farming, one that is sustainable to the environment and one that is safer for our health. Berry explores the interconnectedness of land, culture, and economy and really shows the importance of land stewardship. He argues and critiques the new “bigger style” of technology and farming and also explains why the large cultural shift has led us to not only harmful agricultural practices, but general lifestyles. …show more content…
He explains that big farmers are becoming monopolies and buying out small farms which is leading to loss of jobs and overall hurting our economy, with the underlying condition that these new technological practices are hurting our environment and way of living. Land that used to be waterways and pastures are now being plowed for crops. Crop rotation is being practiced less and less. This will cause the use of more chemicals, increase the price of land, increase the overhead cost of farming which in turn will lead to diminishing farms. With the increased use of technology, it will require more hybrid corn, which will in turn, use more fossil fuels. With farm estates losing money, buying a new farm would be ignorant because it can’t pay for itself. Farmers now struggle to preserve their place and values in which they live against the government agencies which use their own tax money against