It sounds like the book didn't talk much about questions of employment and income? This is one of my gripes with the ecomodernist cheerleading of land-sparing industrial ag efficiency: It largely ignores the economic and social consequences of that model, which in the US has resulted in a massive loss of farm livelihoods and the insecurity of many farmers who remain.
And it also sounds like the matter of zoonotic disease didn't come up, either? Novel influenzas—and the millions of people they kill—are the inevitable result of intensive animal production, but one never hears that factored into deliberations about diet. I wish more food writers acknowledged that.
Thanks for the comment, Brandon! There was some discussion of farmer livelihoods and economics. It is indeed extremely costly to become one of these mega-efficient commodity farmers - one tractor costs more than my house! My impression is there are a small number of them making a lot of money and many others barely getting by, whose farms will probably be absorbed into the successful ones if their kids don't want to keep farming. I've been seeing news stories lately about declining numbers of farms and farmers, which is obviously a long-term trend.
I just saw this, thanks for reading and thanks for the kind words! I always say I want people to grapple with the substance of the book, and even if we don't agree on everything, you grappled.
I love your newsletter so much! Out of all the newsletters that hit my inbox, yours is the only one I read every word of. Thanks for making me a more critical thinker when it comes about nature, science, and climate change.
Thank you for highlighting many issues with two or more sides of the coin.
Shows how hard it is to understand the complexities of our behaviors and choices. One thing that the review left me wondering: How does protecting and improving soil and protecting or at least not further harming insect biodiversity fit into the discussion of efficient vs inefficient farm practices? Nutrient-rich carrots look the same as nutrientless carrots, but are not the same value. Pollinating fruit crops with small artists' brushes is not efficient.
These are great and complex questions. The book discusses regenerative agriculture which often claims to protect and improve soil, but I'm not aware of evidence that regenerative practices actually improve the nutrition of crops or overall biodiversity on farms.
I don't recall details, but I vaguely recall Gabe Brown in his Book 'Dirt to Soil' speaking about the analysis of vegetables to determine their nutrient levels. This suggests to me that it may be possible to correlate nutrient levels with soil health. Again, like the rest, it is likely complicated and with many 'depends'. We all need to use critical thinking and to read closely and ask lots of questions with a focus on what we want as end results. I believe soil health is paramount strategically. Opinions we all have. Indeed, evidence is called for. I believe biodiversity is taking a huge hit on how we manage the planet currently.
Thanks for the great review, Gabe.
It sounds like the book didn't talk much about questions of employment and income? This is one of my gripes with the ecomodernist cheerleading of land-sparing industrial ag efficiency: It largely ignores the economic and social consequences of that model, which in the US has resulted in a massive loss of farm livelihoods and the insecurity of many farmers who remain.
And it also sounds like the matter of zoonotic disease didn't come up, either? Novel influenzas—and the millions of people they kill—are the inevitable result of intensive animal production, but one never hears that factored into deliberations about diet. I wish more food writers acknowledged that.
Thanks for the comment, Brandon! There was some discussion of farmer livelihoods and economics. It is indeed extremely costly to become one of these mega-efficient commodity farmers - one tractor costs more than my house! My impression is there are a small number of them making a lot of money and many others barely getting by, whose farms will probably be absorbed into the successful ones if their kids don't want to keep farming. I've been seeing news stories lately about declining numbers of farms and farmers, which is obviously a long-term trend.
As for zoonotic disease, I don't recall much discussion, but you may get a sense of Grunwald's attitude from this NYT piece (based on a chapter of the book): https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/13/opinion/food-agriculture-factory-farms-climate-change.html
Thank you for sharing that article. I despise paywalls here’s a 🆓 copy:
https://www.terraagtechnologies.com/post/sorry-but-this-is-the-future-of-food
Eating Animals Causes Pandemics
https://www.facebook.com/share/1ATcSBf6ny/
I just saw this, thanks for reading and thanks for the kind words! I always say I want people to grapple with the substance of the book, and even if we don't agree on everything, you grappled.
I'm glad you saw the review! And wouldn't it be boring if we agreed on everything? :)
I love your newsletter so much! Out of all the newsletters that hit my inbox, yours is the only one I read every word of. Thanks for making me a more critical thinker when it comes about nature, science, and climate change.
Thank you for the very kind note!
Thanks so much for an insightful review. Very difficult to know what is our best path when we aim for ethical eating and farming.
And it’s odd to hear anyone criticize Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma:
we think of polyfarming as heroic, but perhaps we’re history already.
Please keep writing.
Mary Bruton Sandifer
Domaine La Tourbeille
(where polyfarming was rich only one generation ago)
Eating more plants is the best path imo whether they be Whole Foods or comfort foods that’s personal preference 👌🌱
Thank you for highlighting many issues with two or more sides of the coin.
Shows how hard it is to understand the complexities of our behaviors and choices. One thing that the review left me wondering: How does protecting and improving soil and protecting or at least not further harming insect biodiversity fit into the discussion of efficient vs inefficient farm practices? Nutrient-rich carrots look the same as nutrientless carrots, but are not the same value. Pollinating fruit crops with small artists' brushes is not efficient.
These are great and complex questions. The book discusses regenerative agriculture which often claims to protect and improve soil, but I'm not aware of evidence that regenerative practices actually improve the nutrition of crops or overall biodiversity on farms.
I don't recall details, but I vaguely recall Gabe Brown in his Book 'Dirt to Soil' speaking about the analysis of vegetables to determine their nutrient levels. This suggests to me that it may be possible to correlate nutrient levels with soil health. Again, like the rest, it is likely complicated and with many 'depends'. We all need to use critical thinking and to read closely and ask lots of questions with a focus on what we want as end results. I believe soil health is paramount strategically. Opinions we all have. Indeed, evidence is called for. I believe biodiversity is taking a huge hit on how we manage the planet currently.
More related to nutrients from plants. Only this article focuses on nutrients for bees. This again speaks to the need for biodiversity of both plants and insects. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/aug/27/wild-bees-visit-different-flowers-to-balance-diet-study