★★★★★

From time to time I post here to let you know about DVDs to put on your rental list. Food Inc. is quite possibly the best documentary I’ve watched in a long time. I grew up and still live on a functioning family farm. I can tell you from personal experience they didn’t miss much when they wrote this documentary. It is the most accurate and informative agribusiness documentary I’ve ever seen.

Freedom of Speech

You really need to get this on your list quickly. As the documentary will tell you it is illegal to show images from inside of slaughter houses or say anything bad about a hamburger. No joke. Congress sold our freedom of speech down the river when it comes to these things. As a result, I expect the people putting this out, and the companies offering it for rental will find themselves in a lawsuit just like Oprah Winfrey found herself in when she said she was never going to eat a hamburger again on her TV show after the Mad Cow scare came out. No Joke. Congress and the corporations tried to take away her freedom of speech as well.

Feed Lots

I like a good steak. I love great prime rib. But I, know the risks. This is the first documentary to show what really happens in a feed lot. Thousands of Black Angus wallowing in their own shit and arriving at the slaughter house with it caked on their hides. Those of us who live on family farms tend to get our meat from neighbors that raise cattle in a pasture, not a feed lot. We also tend to know the local stores that buy from small packing houses who buy cattle raised in this manner.

What will probably be the most astounding scene for the average city dweller will be the areal shot showing you the physical size of the feedlot operation they are filming. It is not until after they zoom in to a single corral that you realize what the areal shot was. It’s the size of a small city, or so it appears. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself backing the DVD up to watch that part again. If you’ve ever seen Band of Brothers then the site might remind you somewhat of the concentration camp portion of the movie. Of course the starving people are replaced by cattle being fattened, but the sight is quite similar.

Growing up in Ag

Growing up in Ag, I had always heard about feedlots, but always thought they were just larger forms of what farmers had. I thought the cattle were fed grain twice per day and allowed to pasture all spring and summer. During the winter months they were brought into the barn and fed hay along with their grain. We always put straw down for bedding and the only time the cattle were ever really “couped up” was during the winter. We never had them packed like I saw on that video. Cattle like to bunch up during winter for warmth, but a farm still needs room to walk with them in the pen so the straw bedding can be spread.

Not just cattle

Don’t worry, they didn’t pick on just cattle. Chicken and Tyson got a serious bitch slapping too. Pork and fish came up quite a bit during the movie as well. They didn’t just pick on livestock. Monsanto and McDonalds also got taken out to the woodshed.

Once again, get this on your rental list and watch it quick. I’m certain it will only be available in foreign countries soon.

For more movie rental ideas please see list one and list two.