American Meat

Joel Salatin's Polyface farm in Virginia—a place where chickens, hogs, and cattle are sustainably raised on a mere 1,550 acres, garnering $2 million a year in sales and supporting 20 full-time jobs—has been the subject of articles, books, and even other documentaries, but few have been as insightful or balanced as American Meat, which eschews diatribe and hyperbole. Directed by Graham Meriwether, the film begins by introducing the feedlot and confinement systems that are current mainstays within the industry. Viewers then meet enthusiastic and engaging advocate Salatin and other farmers, who make the case that sustainable farming on constellations of small enterprises could indeed feed America were it not for huge impediments, including the leviathan federal farm bill, which favors large-scale agriculture. Another roadblock lies in the struggle to entice workers away from the city to work in the countryside; among the interviewees here are several enthusiasts who did leave city jobs to return to the land (at one point, Salatin asks visitors if they'd be interested in giving up their “Dilbert-cubicle jobs”). It looks like a dream worth pursuing: the provision of humanely raised meat that is produced with minimal impact on the environment—where manure is reintroduced into the ecosystem rather than gathered in today's vast ponds, which emit more greenhouse gases than all of the motor vehicles in the U.S. combined. A thought-provoking documentary that offers clear explanations of successful small-farming methods, this is highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: C, P. (F. Gardner)