The Omnivore’s Dilemma

by

Michael Pollan

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Omnivore’s Dilemma makes teaching easy.

Joel Salatin Character Analysis

The spunky, libertarian farmer who runs Polyface Farms in Virginia, Salatin hosts Michael Pollan on his farm and expounds an almost spiritual belief in the purity and righteousness of his methods. Calling his farm “beyond organic,” he has created a self-sustaining system with practically zero negative ecological consequences. Preaching a fiery anti-government stance and a strong skepticism of all industrial, large-scale farms—even organic ones—Salatin is dedicated to his animals, his farm, his methods, and his community, refusing to compromise on his principles. He helps Pollan see the hypocrisy of modern organic standards and regulations, and he urges Pollan to notice the value of working with the natural world instead of against it.

Joel Salatin Quotes in The Omnivore’s Dilemma

The The Omnivore’s Dilemma quotes below are all either spoken by Joel Salatin or refer to Joel Salatin. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Nature vs. Human Intervention Theme Icon
).
Chapter 8 Quotes

This is an astounding cornucopia of food to draw from a hundred acres of pasture, yet what is perhaps still more astonishing is the fact that this pasture will be in no way diminished by the process…Salatin’s audacious bet is that feeding ourselves from nature need not be a zero-sum proposition, one in which if there is more for us at the end of the season then there must be less for nature—less topsoil, less fertility, less life.

Related Characters: Michael Pollan (speaker), Joel Salatin
Related Symbols: Grass
Page Number: 126-127
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 11 Quotes

“Efficiency” is the term usually invoked to defend large-scale industrial farms, and it usually refers to the economies of scale that can be achieved by the application of technology and standardization. Yet Joel Salatin’s farm makes the case for a very different sort of efficiency—the one found in natural systems, with their coevolutionary relationships and reciprocal loops. For example, in nature there is no such thing as a waste problem, since one creature’s waste becomes another creature’s lunch.

Related Characters: Michael Pollan (speaker), Joel Salatin
Page Number: 214
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 12 Quotes

Polyface’s customers know to come after noon on a chicken day, but there’s nothing to prevent them from showing up earlier and watching their dinner being killed—indeed, customers are welcome to watch, and occasionally one does. More than any USDA rule or regulation, this transparency is their best assurance that the meat they’re buying has been humanely and cleanly processed.

Related Characters: Michael Pollan (speaker), Joel Salatin
Page Number: 235
Explanation and Analysis:
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The Omnivore’s Dilemma PDF

Joel Salatin Quotes in The Omnivore’s Dilemma

The The Omnivore’s Dilemma quotes below are all either spoken by Joel Salatin or refer to Joel Salatin. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Nature vs. Human Intervention Theme Icon
).
Chapter 8 Quotes

This is an astounding cornucopia of food to draw from a hundred acres of pasture, yet what is perhaps still more astonishing is the fact that this pasture will be in no way diminished by the process…Salatin’s audacious bet is that feeding ourselves from nature need not be a zero-sum proposition, one in which if there is more for us at the end of the season then there must be less for nature—less topsoil, less fertility, less life.

Related Characters: Michael Pollan (speaker), Joel Salatin
Related Symbols: Grass
Page Number: 126-127
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 11 Quotes

“Efficiency” is the term usually invoked to defend large-scale industrial farms, and it usually refers to the economies of scale that can be achieved by the application of technology and standardization. Yet Joel Salatin’s farm makes the case for a very different sort of efficiency—the one found in natural systems, with their coevolutionary relationships and reciprocal loops. For example, in nature there is no such thing as a waste problem, since one creature’s waste becomes another creature’s lunch.

Related Characters: Michael Pollan (speaker), Joel Salatin
Page Number: 214
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 12 Quotes

Polyface’s customers know to come after noon on a chicken day, but there’s nothing to prevent them from showing up earlier and watching their dinner being killed—indeed, customers are welcome to watch, and occasionally one does. More than any USDA rule or regulation, this transparency is their best assurance that the meat they’re buying has been humanely and cleanly processed.

Related Characters: Michael Pollan (speaker), Joel Salatin
Page Number: 235
Explanation and Analysis: