Last night I hosted my good friend Craig Charland and his friend Graham Meriwether who were passing through town on their farm tour of Iowa and Nebraska. Together, they are the crew of American Meat, a documentary due out in the spring of 2010. Here's a bit about the film:

American Meat explores the complexities embedded in the highly debated practices of the American meat industry. As the economy drives a contraction of conventional chicken, pork and beef operations, we hear the innovative methods of the charismatic, Virginia-based farmer, Joel Salatin. Joel, who is a leader of the growing niche of people who are opting for animals raised outside and without the use of antibiotics, believes that if more people become sustainable farmers, the movement could fracture centralized commodity production. Conventional farmers argue that small-scale farming can’t expand production enough to adequately meet the demands of the nation. As the dialogue ensues, Salatin signs a deal with fast-food chain Chipotle in a surprisingmove, with widespread implications for the industry.

Having just made friends with my local chicken farmers and as someone who is often overwhelmed by the thought of figuring out how to buy meat responsibly, I was peppering them with questions about what they've seen in their travels. Honestly, I wasn't really prepared to hear details about the process of hog insemination—though Craig's demonstration of how a male pig acts as it's being paraded in front of females who are in heat was highly entertaining—but I do think that it's important for us to have a working knowledge of what goes into exactly how the meat that winds up on our plates arrived there. And it was definitely eye opening to hear about how when they visit larger production facilities, they have to shower in and shower out (and don communal visitor jumpsuits and tighty whites provided to them by the farm) so that they are sanitary and don't introduce anything potentially harmful to the animals. Today and tomorrow, they are shooting at a few nearby farms and then are coming back to the city on Saturday to attend Hog Farmers Appreciation Day at the Hotel Fort Des Moines, sponsored by Niman Ranch. I am still learning just how big the pork industry is here in Iowa and I've been informed, though I tried very hard not to listen, that the odd scent I often notice is a nearby plant "rendering"...I just can't think about that any more to find out exactly what that means! So, check out the trailer of the movie HERE (just click on "video" at the bottom) for a glimpse into what the finished product will be all about. I, for one, can't wait!

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