Joel Salatin teaches philosophy of farming

By Joanne Santomauro

Last Wednesday, the Recital Hall was filled with students, environmentalists, professors, farmers and community members who gathered to see Joel Salatin, renowned guest speaker in the Food for Thought Speaker series, organized by the Leavey School of Business' Food and Agribusiness Institute.

Salatin is a farmer in Shenandoah Valley, Virginia. His farm, Polyface Farms, is known for its environmentally friendly and economical farming techniques, as well as its mission to cultivate an emotional relationship between its livestock and customers.

Sophomore Ben Knapp originally contacted Salatin requesting him to speak at Santa Clara. Knapp said,

"I saw ‘Food, Inc.' and was super jazzed about [Salatin]. He's doing food right, and it's good to have his energy and enthusiasm here to spread it. It's really good to have someone instate the same ideologies in this arena, through working with the earth versus against it...going back to basics in some verses."

Salatin is known for authoring several books, including "Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal: War Stories From the Local Food Front." He was also featured in Michael Pollan's book "The Omnivore's Dilemma" as well as the documentary films, "Food, Inc." and "Fresh."

Tickets were sold out on Wednesday. To the disappointment of many attendees who planned to buy tickets at the door, those who arrived a more than punctual 15 minutes before the show were placed on a waitlist.

The crowd chattered loudly while waiting for Salatin to approach the microphone. Greg Banks, director of the Food and Business Institute, welcomed Salatin onstage.

Accompanied by projected images of Polyface Farms, Salatin began by labeling himself as a "Christian-libertarian-environmentalist-capitalist-lunatic" and describing how the Polyface livestock are raised on rotational grazing, which moves herds to fresh pastures in order to maximize the animals' health.

Salatin explained his philosophy of farming as an integration of Eastern and Western cultures,

"From the East, we get this understanding of soul and morality, as well as an appreciation for nature and all its mystery. From the West, we get the sort of techno-glitzy stuff...we can borrow from both of these cultures...Nature respects balance."

Salatin described his technique of aerating cow manure by allowing the pigs to feed on corn, which is then spread through their excrement. He said,

"The pigs want to do this, and in allowing them to do so, I respect the pig-ness of the pig...how are we to respect each other if we can't respect the lowest of the creatures?"

He continued,

"If we're going to have a culture that respects the Mary-ness of Mary or the Tom-ness of Tom, we need to start respecting the pig-ness of the pig."

Many of Salatin's farming techniques call for a return to the basics of nature, and allowing his animals to feel free and healthy. He added,

"Our weakness [as a culture] is a constipation of imagination."

To the amusement of the audience, Salatin displayed an image on the screen of the facilities of one of Polyface's big-name competitors. At the entrance to the facility is a large sign indicating restricted access and "No trespassing allowed." In contrast, Salatin displayed a photo of the entrance to Polyface Farms, which displayed a sign directing visitors to parking.

He elaborated, explaining how he encourages visitors to the farm. In fact, when younger children visit the farm, Salatin's youngest son tours them around, in order for the children to "develop a relationship with their dinner," as Salatin fondly put it.

"Other farms [offer] one-night stand, prostitution food. There's no courtship. We want to romance our food," he stated proudly.

At the end of his speech, Salatin allowed time for questions. In regards to the recently signed Food Safety Modernization Act, which toughens food regulations, an audience member asked Salatin,

"Why did the bad guys win?"

Salatin replied, "We have to understand that food safety, primarily in this country, is not about food safety. It's about who has access to the market...I know this is not about food safety, it's about regulating market access...consumer advocates believe bureaucrats can protect them and that a paper 1,000 miles away can protect them...[as a society] we love being victims; that's why we call them ‘stoplights' and not ‘go-lights.' Ultimately, the question is, ‘Who owns me?'"

Another audience member questioned, "Have you ever thought about advocating these farming techniques in other developing countries?"

Salatin answered,

"These systems are all over the world...The infrastructure of the land is portable...[As a basic proportion] every kitchen should have enough chickens to eat the kitchen scraps of chicken."

Finally, a member of the audience asked Salatin if he ate fish and seafood.

Salatin replied,

"If I said I didn't eat fish and seafood, I would be lying, but I'm so close I'm going to say no."

As a salute to the audience, Salatin told the audience,

"Eventually, we all walk by faith — at the end of the day, we put our faith in something, whether it be God, family, friends...all of these opportunities and decisions come down to who you're going to trust. Life is full of risks. It's so risky you could die from it!"

Salatin concluded with one final benediction, "May all your carrots grow long and straight. May we all leave the planet in a better place than it was found."

Contact Joanne at jsantomauro@scu.edu or at (408) 554-1918.