Readings, Organics and Conferences

Ah, it's Friday. I have been waiting for this day for a while. I have quite a few things to get done this weekend, but I've finally found some time to catch you up on what's going on.

First of all, I'm already done with one of my classes. Yep, completely finished. Somehow I managed to read four science literary journalism books in five weeks. Ok, not the entire books but a good portion of them.

We read: 

• Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan- a plant's eye view of human-plant interaction
• Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman- a memoir-like compilation of Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman's life experiences
• Basin and Range by John McPhee- a geologic journey of the Basin and Range region and Earth in general
• The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder- a Pulitzer Prize winning exploration of early computers and the people who built them

Each of these books has a completely different take on non-fiction. I liked Pollan's conversational tone and Feynman's use of anecdotes. McPhee is the master of metaphor, while Kidder brought an otherwise dry topic to life. 

Our final in-class discussion question was "If you could follow any group and write about the people of that group, what would it be?" Of course I want to write about farmers and other aggies, but this class gave me a better idea on the "how." I've already met a lot of really neat people involved in agriculture for various articles. Who's to say I won't write about those experiences, and more, someday? My challenge to myself is to keep in-depth notes on those experiences so I can recall them someday. 

Who knows what the future will bring.

Back to the present--

Have you seen the Stanford study that concluded organic food is not healthier than conventionally grown? Media picked up on it, and for a while a fury of comeback articles ensued. For my work study, I compiled a couple documents containing several of these articles. One document included articles that were clearly upset with the study, while the other included articles that appreciated the findings or had balanced opinion. Sadly, there were only a few articles I would consider truly balanced.

As a disclaimer, I believe those upset with Stanford's findings have a legitimate argument. Nutritional value is probably not the main reason  people buy organic. However, I believe the Stanford study is good to encourage consumers not to worry about buying the produce they can't afford. 

Our diets need more fruits and vegetables, and to worry about whether or not they are organic isn't fair or healthy. My favorite article came from the nutritionist perspective. Moms shouldn't have to feel like they're hurting their children because they can't afford organic, was one message I wholeheartedly agree with.

In other activities--

I'm gearing up for the National FFA Convention and Agriculture Future of America Leaders Conference. Remember my "world view" posts from last year? I'm headed back to that conference, so I'm sure there will be much to say!