Eco-ED Module Title: Industrial Agriculture
Module Leader(s): (name) / Matai BlacklockShort Description:
(Include brochure information on pages following this chart.) / Students will be given a presentation aimed to teach them about the United States industrial farming system. Environmentalists, animal rights activists, farmers and public health advocates are concerned about the many negative effects of our industrial food industry. The students will be taught how and why an industrial farming system developed in the U.S. as well as the many negative aspects of our industrial farming system.
In combination with the presentation the students will be shown The Meatrix, clips from the popular documentary Food Inc. and another short animated clip that all illustrate problems with our industrial farming system.
EcoEd Concept(s): (list) / Unsustainable Industrial Farming / Environmental + Health Effects of Industrial Farming
EcoEd Literacy Goal(s): / Educate the students about our current industrialized food system and the problems / benefits that are associated with it.
Illustrate how the various negative effects on our health and environment due to our industrial food system.
Understand how the industrial farming system takes advantage of its workers.
Understand key business practices that “agri-businesses” use.
(Vertical Integration. Contract Growing, Externalized Cost)
Become aware of the horrendous living condition for animals in factory farms.
Intended Grade(s):
(circle) / 6-8
Currently the module is best suited for 6-8 but it could be revised for lower age groups.
Module Objectives:
(list) / At the end of the module students will be able to:
Identify what led to the rise of industrial farming.
Explain why industrial farmers choose to practice industrial farming methods.
Explain how agri-businesses use a vertical integration business model.
Illustrate how large “agri-businesses” are making it hard for farmers that use sustainable farming to stay in business.
Understand how some farmers are forced to practice industrial farming methods in order to survive. (Contract Growing)
Explain how the industrial farming system produces cheap food only due to the fact that the cost is externalized.
Explain how industrial farming has led to many environmental problems as well as health problems in both humans and animals.
Have a basic concept of what they can do to help fix our industrial farming system.
Materials needed:
(list) / Projector
Screen
Speakers / Prizes for the game at the end
Worksheets for the game (Attachment 1)
Timeline: / 10 minutes
Introduction / Brief Introduction + handout Meatrix handouts
30-40minutes
Power Point + Film Clips / Go through the slide show presentation showing movie clips as they come up.
10-15 minutes
Closing Game / Closing game.
Activity Description: (Provide enough detail so that someone else could run the workshop. Include worksheets on pages following this chart.) / 1) Introduction: Have all of the college students introduce themselves and say what their major is. Then have all of the students introduce themselves and say one thing that they know about how we get our food. Ask the students if any of them get their food from a “local” source. Make sure that they understand that a supermarket isn’t a local source… a local source means grown locally.
While this is going on the worksheets should be handed out. It isn’t mandatory that the students fill out the worksheets, but the students should be told that at the end of the presentation we will play a game where the same questions on the worksheet will be asked. Some sort of prize should be available for answering question correctly. This will motivate the students to pay attention during the presentation and help them retain the information.
2) Presentation + Short Clips: Start the powerpoint, making sure to remind kids to fill out their worksheets to help them in the game at the end and ask questions at any time if they have any.
First the kids will watch the three Meatrix episodes. At the end of these clips the kids should be asked what they thought about the animation and if they knew about the issues that it presents beforehand. (Attachment 2 is an outline of what the Meatrix videos discuss) After this short question and answer period continue on with the slides.
The person presenting should move slowly through each slide, connecting important topics back to the Meatrix and the other film clips that are hyperlinked in the powerpoint. (see attachment 3 to view where the hyperlinks are hidden)
Make sure the kids understand some of the complex terms that they probably aren’t familiar with such as: vertical integration, contract growing, agribusiness, externalized cost and genetically modified. The powerpoint slides explain these terms but the presenter should stop and ask the students if they understand the terms to increase their retention of these complicated ideas.
After the information slides have been finished, it’s time for another question and answer period. Ask the students if they have any questions and have them each say something new that they learned about our industrial farming system.
3) Final Game: Split the students up into teams of four or less. Take turns asking each team a question from the handout. If they answer the question correctly they get a prize, if they answer it incorrectly the next team has a chance to answer it.
The game can be varied and made more complex. Depending on the number of students and what you make the prizes different types of games may be suitable.
For entertainment purposes the game could be made more complex, perhaps modeling it after a jeopardy game. The goal of the game is to test the students retention and reinforce what they learned.
Once the game has concluded hand out the take home sheets to the students (Attachment 3) and go around the room having each student say something that they will do to help reduce our dependence on industrial farming.
Parent/Guardian Follow Up: (Can be an email or take home sheet. If it is an email include text here. If it is a take home sheet include on pages following this chart.) / Pages included in attachments.
Table of Contents
Attachment 1) …….. Student Worksheet
Attachment 2) …….. Meatrix Outline (for teacher use only)
Attachment 3) …….. Student / Parent Take Home Sheets
Available on the wiki under “Worksheets to take home (Tom/Matai)”
Attachment 4) …….. Powerpoint Slide Show
Available on the wiki under “Industrial Agriculture (Matai)”
Attachment 1) Student Worksheet
Meatrix1:
1) Where does the meat that most Americans eat come from?
2) Why were factory farms created?
3) What are some problems associated with factory farms?
Meatrix 2:
5) Where do most dairy products that Americans consume come from?
6) Why do cows need to be given constant dosages of antibiotics? How is this dangerous?
7) What is RBGH? Why do factory farms give it to cows?
8) Why shouldn’t we feed baby cows’ milk replacer that is made in part with cows’ blood?
Meatrix 2.5:
9) What are some of the problems associated with how factories process meat?
10) How do meat packing factories treat their workers? Do they value them?
11) Why would someone choose to work in a meat packing factory?
Powerpoint Questions:
12) Why did The U.S. begin using an industrial farming system?
13) What allowed industrial farmers to develop an industrial farming system?
14) What is the word for a large industrial farming business?
15) What does it mean if a company uses a vertical integration business model?
16) How do large industrial farming corporations exploit (take advantage of) small family farms?
17) What allows for consumers (shoppers) to buy industrially farmed food so cheaply?
18) What is the goal of the industrial farming system?
19) What are the main problems with crop growing Industrial Farms? (Name at least 2)
20) What are the main problems with a livestock factory farm? (Name at least 2)
21) What problems does routine antibiotic use cause?
22) How do industrial farms pollute? (Name at least 1 way)
23) How does industrial farming contribute to global warming?
24) Name three symptoms that industrial farming practices can cause in humans?
25) What are some steps you can take to help stop factory farming?
Attachment 2) Meatrix Outline (for teacher use only)
The Meatrix 1: http://www.themeatrix.com/#
Traditional Family farms are a myth
Most eggs meat and milk come from factory farms
Factory farms were created to maximize profits at great cost to both humans and animals
Cruel conditions cause fights and disease among animals
constant dosages of antibiotics added to feed to keep animals alive
Overuse of antibiotics causes super resistant strains of germs to be created
12 million lbs of excrement pollutes the air and ground water near factory farms
Leads to illnesses
Factory farms mistreat their workers and close down family farms.
Focuses on pig farms
The Meatrix 2: dairy farms
People are starting to buy healthier more sustainable animal products.
Industrial Dairy Factory – most milk and cheese
Cows live in unhealthy conditions. Often get sick even with constant antibiotics
RBGH = artificial growth hormone given to cows to make them grow faster (Canada and the EU banned RBGH)
Baby cows are fed milk replacer made in part by cows blood (mad cow disease)
Support local family farms to help stop factory farming
The Meatrix 2.5:
Factory meat processing plants
Bad working conditions – most dangerous job in the nation
Factories are more concerned with speed than safe working conditions or sanitary food handling conditions
Profit is the most important thing for the industry
Ask the students questions such as:
Why have factory farms been created?
Is the economy one of growth and expansion at any environmental cost?
Does factory farming lead to sustainable practices?
What problems do you see with factory farming affected the ecosystem?
What kind of pollution will be caused?
What kind of benefits will this new technology bring to a community?
Has the old world view that the earth and all things on it exist for the sole benefit of humans changed? Has western civilization been created on the premise of unlimited exploitation of the earth?
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