A R ippl e Eff ect In c. R el eas e
72 mi nutes
56 mi n utes ( Bro adca st v ersi on)
Medi a C on ta ct:
Crystal Cun
Crystal@ FRE S Hthemovi e.c o m
(347) 860 -9444
http:// w ww. F RE S Hthemo vi e.c o m
FRE S H celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing
our food system. Each has witnessed the rapid transformation of our agriculture into an industrial
model, and confronted the consequences: food contamination, environmental pollution, depletion of
natural resources, and morbid obesity. Forging healthier, sustainable alternatives, they offer a practical
vision for a future of our food and our planet.
Among several main characters, FR ES H features urban farmer and activist, Will Allen, a 2008
recipient of the MacArthur “genius” grant and recently named one of Time’s 100 most influential
people; sustainable farmer and entrepreneur Joel Salatin, made famous by The Omnivore’s Dilemma,
the best-selling book by Michael Pollan, who is also featured in the movie; and, Kansas City
supermarket owner David Ball, who is challenges our Wal-Mart-dominated economy every day by
stocking his stores with products from local suppliers.
Dir ector’s Statement
I first started thinking about making FRE S H after reading a three-part article in the New Yorker
about global warming four years ago. The article’s dire exposé of the complexity and extent of the
problem left me feeling like a powerless and hopeless observer, watching the world spiraling towards
its inevitable destruction. I also realized that these very feelings were responsible for my inaction. But
in the face of such large and complex problems, it was hard to see how my small, seemingly
inconsequential, individual actions could have meaning or impact. So I embarked on the making of
FRE S H to see if, yes, they do in fact matter.
Initially, I intended to document the urgency of the global warming crisis, hoping to scare others and
myself into taking action. Instead, I encountered the most inspiring people, ideas and initiatives. Who
knew that we already had the solutions to so many of our problems and that some of us were already
hard at work implementing them? Instead of the despair and inaction unwittingly fostered by the
media, these examples of change suggested a very different perspective. Life is an indivisible network
in which every node is critical. Each one of us is creating the world we are living in. It is this creative
process that gives our life meaning and pleasure. It is precisely the transformation from inaction to
empowerment, the very transformation I went through making the film that I want the film to offer to
audiences. I want audiences to engage by discussing the issues, finding out what’s going on in their
community and getting involved.
FRE S H portrays a movement that is happening in America and worldwide. The alternative food
market is the fastest growing market in the United States, even though it still makes up a minuscule
percentage of the food economy. And it’s incredibly energetic. Where it will lead us, I don’t know. Lin
Yutang, a Chinese writer and inventor, said that “Hope is like a road in the country; there was never a
road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence.”
I like to remind myself that both cynicism and optimism are equally righteous. We don’t know what
the future holds, yet we can remain hopeful in the knowledge that change is always possible, even when
it is hard to imagine, and all of us can choose to participate in it.
2
A B OU T T HE F I LM
FRE S H is more than a film; it is a reflection of a rising movement of people and communities across
America who are re-inventing our food system. FR ES H celebrates the food architects who offer a
practical vision of a new food paradigm and consumer access to it. Encouraging individuals to take
matters into their own hands, FR ES H is a guide that empowers people to take an array of actions as
energetic as planting urban gardens and creating warm composts from food waste, and as simple as
buying locally-grown products and preserving seasonal produce to eat later in the year.
Throughout the film, we encounter the most inspiring people, ideas, and initiatives happening around
the country right now. At the Growing Power urban farm in Milwaukee, Will Allen is turning three
acres of industrial wasteland into a mecca of nutrition for his neighborhood. In Kansas City, we
witness David Ball revitalize his community, turning the modern concept of the Supermarket on its
head by stocking his stores with produce from a cooperative of local farmers. And, we journey to Joel
Salatin’s farm in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley to witness his methods for closing the nutrient cycle,
allowing cows, chickens, pigs and natural grasses to flourish and produce without ever an ounce of
chemical fertilizer or industrial animal feed.
FRE S H tells the stories of real people, connecting audiences not with facts and figures or apocalyptic
policy analysis, but with examples of personal initiative and concrete ways to engage in a new food
model.
3
W H AT F OL KS A RE S A YI NG A BO U T FRE S H
FRESH is a bra ci n g, ev en exhi lara ti n g look at the whole range of efforts underway to renovate
the way we grow food and feed ourselves.
– Mi c ha el Po lla n
FRESH is just that—an up beat a n d wo nder full y f res h look a t o ur foo d s ys tem and how to
make it work better for the health of humans and the planet. It’s a must see for everyone who eats.
– Mar io n N es tl e
We all just watched FRESH…and we were mesmerized and empowered. Ev er y Ameri ca n needs
to see thi s. You will capture hearts with this. I can’t wait to sit in an audience watching this. It is
absolutely masterful.
– Jo el Sal atin
If Foo d I nc . was yo ur wak e up call, Fr es h, T he Movi e is your call to a ctio n. Fresh’s
strength is that it shows the incredible creativity of individuals who are devoting their lives to
producing food differently.
– E coS alo n
Where FRESH departs from Food Inc., The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and most other food
documentaries of late, is that FRE S H is do w nri ght ho peful .
– Fai rFoo dFi ght. co m
FRESH is a ri c h a n d i nsp iri n g meal . FRESH offers not only a serious look at where we are and a
useful primer on how we got here, but r ep ea ted hea r t-l if ti n g demo ns tra tio ns that there are ways
to produce food that are safer, kinder and more natural. FRESH provides not only education but
inspiration—and hope.
– J oa n Gusso w
4
T H E FRE S H M OV EM ENT I S G ROWI NG
FRESH is a documentary that celebrates the farmers, thinkers and entrepreneurs across America who
are re-inventing our food system. FRESH is also a movement: an activist platform that integrates
screenings with grassroots outreach, spreading awareness and sparking action through advocacy
campaigns, petitions and social networking.
Here are some of our achievements:
•
•
•
•
•
Successful Self-Distribution. Since our initial release in May 2009 with an 11-city US tour,
FRE S H has s cr een ed ov er 4,000 ti mes aro un d the worl d. This accomplishment
was 100% grassroots-driven, with contributions from no more than two paid staff at any given
time.
Longevity & Financial Sustainability. Our activist outreach has allowed us to sustain interest
in FRESH for almost two yea rs. All of our activities have been financed through the
licensing of FRESH screening rights and community sales.
Partnerships with Key Organizations. Our distribution and outreach strategy has helped us
develop a network of hun dr eds of p ar tn er or ga ni z ati on s. FRESH works closely with
partners to generate ideas about how FRESH can best serve local communities, from tying
screenings to campaigns to organizing post-screening panel discussions. Ultimately, these
participatory events help audience members become i mmedi atel y an d mea ni n gf ull y
invo lved i n the s us ta in abl e f oo d movemen t in their o w n ba ck yar ds.
Powerful Online Activist Platform. Our innovative distribution and activist platform (based on
Salsa Software developed by Democracy in Action) has allowed us to develop exciting and
relevant a dvo ca c y ca mp ai gns. These campaigns have brought important issues in food
policy to the attention of our supporters and asked them to take action (sign a petition, call
their representative, etc). Thus far, we’ve gathered over 60,0 00 s i gn atur es to submit to
various federal agencies, regarding issues ranging from genetically engineered salmon to
antitrust enforcement for farmers.
Growth of Social Networks. Through our unique combination of grassroots outreach, online
campaigning and social media communications, we have cultivated an online community of
over 70,00 0 p eo ple. Our Facebook fan base alone is over 19,0 00 peo pl e and has a
mo n thly gro wth ra te of 10 % due to our relevant and informative content. Recent survey
results suggested that 50% of the members of the FRESH community have not actually seen
FRESH yet. This as a testament to the value of FRESH beyond the film itself - i t’s mo re
than a doc umentar y; i t’s a movemen t.
5
T H E FRE S H F O OD M ODEL I N A C TIO N
Env iro n men tall y & E co no mic all y S ustai nab le Agr ic ul ture: Jo el Sala ti n ’s Po lyfa ce
Far m
Polyface Farm was 400 acres of badly eroded land in rural Virginia when Joel Salatin started farming it
30 years ago. Government and private consultants advised him to graze the forest and build feedlots,
but Joel saw the negative impact this kind of farming was having on the land, the animals, the farmers,
and the community. So following his deeply held values and foregoing government assistance, he
developed a self-sustaining organic farm. By rotating the use of his land, Salatin allows his cattle to
feed only on grass, thus closing the nutrient cycle. Rotating cattle allows the grass to regenerate,
therefore capturing more CO2 and building more soil. The cow manure that’s produced is then used to
fertilize his soil, eliminating the need to buy synthetic fertilizers or to manage a toxic manure lagoon.
The cows are followed in rotation by chickens, who eat fly larvae out of the dung, thereby “sanitizing”
the fields and eliminating the need for antibiotics. Salatin’s ingenious system of farming combines
ecology and technology in a way that increases productivity while respecting the land and animals,
demonstrating that a farmer can be both economically and environmentally sustainable.
Revi tal iz in g o ur L oc al E co no mi es: D avi d Ba ll’s Alter na tiv e S up er mark et
With the arrival of Wal-Mart and other corporate supermarkets in the 1980s, David Ball watched his
family-run Kansas City supermarket chain fail, alongside a once-thriving local farm community. To
save his business, Ball turned to his community and proposed a simple but out-of-the-box solution: Ball
helped organized a cooperative of local farmers — The Good Natured Family Farm — and
aggressively marketed their products in his 18 supermarkets. This decision has revitalized not only
Ball’s own business, but also has created a ripple effect of economic vitality to rural areas while
improving the access to healthy foods in Kansas City.
Heal thy Foo d F or AL L: Will All en ’s E duc ati onal Urb an Far m
Fifteen years ago, Will Allen bought a piece of abandoned land in the heart of Milwaukee. Today,
these three acres have become Growing Power, an oasis in an otherwise neglected neighborhood. The
farm turns over one million pounds of the city’s waste into fertile soil, which in turn produces one
million pounds of chemical-free food every year. As a result, Allen makes fresh food — from organically
grown vegetables to his farm-raised tilapia — available every day in a community where once there was
none. The farm has created jobs, bolstered nutrition, aided small farmers, and fought hunger in one of
the poorest neighborhoods of Milwaukee — all while demonstrating a practical, cost-effective
alternative to the nation's dysfunctional food system.
The stories of these incredible innovators have been carefully selected and provide practical, on the
ground, solutions, that can inspire each on of us to become active participants in shaping the future of
the planet.
To learn more about growing, living and eating FRE S H, visit: www.FRESHthemovie.com
6
A NA ’ S 10 FRE S H S O LU TIO NS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Buy loca l pro duc ts when possible, otherwise, buy organic and fair-trade products. Ask
your grocer or favorite restaurant what local food they carry and try to influence their
purchasing decisions. You will support your local economy and small farmers, reduce your
exposure to harmful pesticides, improve the taste and quality of your food, and protect the
environment from fertilizer and pesticide run-offs.
Shop a t yo ur lo cal far mer s mar ket, joi n a CS A (Community Supported Agriculture)
and get weekly deliveries of the season's harvest, and by buy from local grocers and co-ops
committed to stocking local foods.
Suppor t r es ta ura n ts a n d foo d v en dors tha t b uy lo call y p ro duc ed foo d. When at a
restaurant, ask (nicely!) your waiter where the meat and fish comes from. Eventually, as more
and more customers ask the same question, they'll get the message!
Avo i d G MOs (Genetically Modified Organisms)! When buying processed food (anything
packaged) buy organic to avoid GMO. (Since almost all the soy, corn, and canola in the US is
genetically modified, over 70% of all processed food contain GMOs from by-products of these
grains.)
CO O K, C AN, D RY & FR EE ZE ! Our culture has forgotten some of the most basic
joys of cooking. Not only is cooking at home better for you and more economical, but it's an
invaluable skill to pass on to your children.
Dri nk pl en ty o f wa ter, b ut av oi d bo ttl ed wa ter when you can. Water bottles pollute
the environment and bottled water is often mere tap water. Plastic is harmful to your health
and to the environment. Buy a reusable water bottle and invest in a good water filter.
Gro w a gar den, visit a farm, volunteer in your community garden, teach a child how to
garden. GET DIRTY! Have fun!
Volun teer and/or financially support an organization dedicated to promoting a sustainable
food system. Stay informed by joining the mailing list of the advocacy groups you trust.
Get i nvolv ed in yo ur co mmun ity! Influence what your child eats by engaging the school
board, effect city policies by learning about zoning and attending city council meetings, learn
about the federal policies that affect your food choice and let your congress person know what
you think.
S H AR E yo ur p ass io n! Talk to your friends and family about why our food choice matters.
And organize a FRE S H screening!
7
H EA L T H B ENEFIT S OF E A TI NG FRE S H
Pa stur e-rai sed mea t, eggs, a n d da ir y
Low er f at: Meat, eggs, and dairy products from pastured animals are ideal for your health.
Compared with commercial products raised on feed lots, they offer you more "good" fats, and fewer
"bad" fats, according to the Journal of Animal Science, among others1. Because meat from grass-fed
animals is lower in fat than meat from grain-fed animals, it is also lower in calories. As an example, a 6ounce steak from a grass-finished steer can have 100 fewer calories than a 6-ounce steak from a grain-fed
steer, or the same amount as a skinless chicken breast. If you eat a typical amount of beef (66.5 pounds
a year), switching to lean grass-fed beef will save you 17,733 calories a year. If everything else in your diet
remains constant, you'll lose about six pounds a year. If all Americans switched to grass-fed meat, our
national epidemic of obesity could diminish.
Mo re V i ta min s: Meats from pastured animals are richer in antioxidants; including vitamins E, betacarotene, and vitamin C. Furthermore, they do not contain traces of added hormones, antibiotics or
other drugs. According to a study by Colorado State University 2, the meat from the pastured cattle is
four times higher in vitamin E than the meat from the feedlot cattle and, interestingly, almost twice as
high as the meat from the feedlot cattle given vitamin E supplements. In humans, vitamin E is linked
with a lower risk of heart disease and cancer. This potent antioxidant may also have anti-aging
properties. Most Americans are deficient in vitamin E.
More O mega-3s : Meat from grass-fed animals has two to four times more omega-3 fatty acids than
meat from grain- fed animals, according to the Journal of Animal Science 3. Eggs from pastured hens
can contain as much as 10 times more omega-3s than eggs from factory hens. Omega-3s are called
"good fats" because they play a vital role in every cell and system in your body. A diet high in Omega
three may reduce the risk of cancer4, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart disease. A study
by Tashiro and Yamamori in Nutrition also found that people with a diet rich in omega-3s are less likely
to suffer from depression, schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder (hyperactivity), or Alzheimer's
disease.5
Mo re Co nj uga ted L in oleic Aci d: Meat and dairy products from grass-fed ruminants are the
richest known source of another type of good fat called "conjugated linoleic acid" or CLA. When
ruminants are raised on fresh pasture alone, their products contain from three to five times more CLA
than products from animals fed conventional diets.6 CLA may be one of our most potent defenses
against cancer.7
1
1. Rule, D. C., K. S. Brought on, S. M. Shellito, and G. Maiorano. "Comparison of Muscle Fatty Acid Profiles and Cholesterol
Concentrations of Bison, Beef Cattle, Elk, and Chicken." J Anim Sci 80, no. 5 (2002): 1202-11.;Dhiman, Tilak R. "Factors Affecting
Conjugated Linoleic Acid Content in Milk and Meat" Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 45 (2005), pp. 463-82: 467-68: 472.
2
"Dietary supplementation of vitamin E to cattle to improve shelf life and case life of beef for domestic and international markets." G.C.
Smith Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1171
3
Duckett, S. K., D. G. Wagner, et al. (1993). "Effects of time on feed on beef nutrient composition." J Anim Sci 71(8): 2079-88.
4
Simopolous, A. P. and Jo Robinson (1999). The Omega Diet. New York, HarperCollins; Rose, D. P., J. M. Connolly, et al. (1995).
"Influence of Diets Containing Eicosapentaenoic or Docasahexaenoic Acid on Growth and Metastasis of Breast Cancer Cells in Nude Mice."
Journal of the National Cancer Institute 87(8): 587-92
5
Tashiro, T., H. Yamamori, et al. (1998). "n-3 versus n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in critical illness." Nutrition 14(6): 551-3.
6
Dhiman, T. R., G. R. Anand, et al. (1999). "Conjugated linoleic acid content of milk from cows fed different diets." J Dairy Sci 82(10):
2146-56.
7
Ip, C, J.A. Scimeca, et al. (1994) "Conjugated linoleic acid. A powerful anti-carcinogen from animal fat sources." p. 1053. Cancer 74(3
suppl):1050-4; Aro, A., S. Mannisto, I. Salminen, M. L. Ovaskainen, V. Kataja, and M. Uusitupa. "Inverse Association between Dietary and
Serum Conjugated Linoleic Acid and Risk of Breast Cancer in Postmenopausal Women." Nutr Cancer 38, no. 2 (2000): 151-7.
8
Sustaina bl y G rown Fr uits & V eg etab les
“According to the USDA’s own numbers if you look at fresh produce grown in 1950 and compare it
nutritionally with fresh produce grown today you will find that the amounts of key nutrients, minerals and
vitamins have diminished by 40%.” Michael Pollan, in F RES H.
Mor e n utritious: Organic crops, on average, contain higher levels of trace minerals and antioxidant
phytonutrients.8
Official food composition tables, including data compiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, reveal
that since the 1940s the mineral levels in fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy have declined substantially in
conventional foods. Combine this with earlier (pre-ripened) picking, longer storage, and more processing of
crops — all of which result in a depletion of nutrient levels in produce — and it's no wonder we may be
getting fewer nutrients in our food than we were 60 years ago.
The artificial fertilization associated with conventional crops produces lush growth by swelling produce
with more water. Partly because of this water inflation, there are higher levels of nutrients in organic
produce.
A recent review of the subject estimated that organic produce tends to contain 10-50% more phytonutrients
than conventional produce. Phytonutrients, many of which are antioxidants involved in the plant's own
defense system, are higher in organic produce because crops rely more on their own defenses in the absence
of regular applications of chemical pesticides.
No c h emica l r esid ue: One of the huge advantages of organic foods is that they haven't been doused in
pesticides.9 Pesticide residues turn up, not just on fruit and vegetables, but in bread, baby food and other
products. Monitoring programs consistently show that around one in three non-organic food samples
tested contains a variety of pesticide residues.
Most pesticide-residue safety levels are set for individual pesticides, but many samples of fresh produce carry
multiple pesticide residues. Rules often do not take into account the "cocktail effect" of combinations of
pesticides in and on foods. Research is emerging confirming the potential for such synergistic increases in
toxicity of up to 100-fold, resulting in reproductive, immune and nervous system effects not expected from
the individual compounds acting alone.
One American peer-reviewed study lead by Chensheng Lu found that the urine and saliva of children eating
a variety of conventional foods from area groceries contained biological markers of organophosphates, the
family of pesticides spawned by the creation of nerve gas agents in World War II.10
8
Agronomy for Sustainable Development (2009), DOI: 10.1051/agro/2009019,“Nutritional quality and safety of organic food. A review”,
Author: Lairon, D. Whether or not organic food brings nutritional benefits over conventional food has been a matter of considerable inquiry
and debate. The UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) concluded that there is no evidence of nutritional superiority. More recently, however, a
review published in the journal Agronomy for Sustainable Development has drawn different conclusions.
9
See list of resources from the Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/tracer-bullets/pestfoodtb.html
10
Chensheng Lu's study was published in Environmental Health Perspectives (ehponline.org), a publication of the National Institute of
Environmental Health Science.
9
10
E NVI R O NM ENT AL B ENEF IT S
“It’s very seductive to hear that language: ‘we need to feed the world.’ When people in industrial
agriculture talk about feeding the world, they are talking about increasing the production of grain and
nobody is stopping and saying: well what are you using that grain for? Are you growing food? No!
they're not growing food, those are seeds for cattle feed, for a very unsustainable system of fattening
cattle on feedlots. But guess what: cattle shouldn’t be eating grain, they're evolved to eat grass.”
Michael Pollan, in FR ES H .
By keeping animals concentrated on feedlots and feeding them only grains, our current food supply
system is depleting our environment. Sustainable agriculture, in contrast, benefits the environment in a
myriad of ways. Preventing the contamination of our water resources from pesticides and fertilizer runoffs is one obvious way, but other benefits may be less obvious. If we returned to pasture-based cattle
production, our environment would benefit from:
• Us in g l es s fos sil f uel us e: On pasture, grazing animals do their own fertilizing and
harvesting. It’s a different story in a confinement operation where animals are crowded into
sheds or kept outdoors on barren land and all their feed is shipped to them from distant fields
where crops are treated with fossil-fuel based fertilizers, sprayed with pesticides, and planted,
tilled, and harvested with heavy equipment.
• Cap turi n g C O 2 : Grazed pasture removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere more
effectively than any land use, including forestland and ungrazed prairie, helping to slow global
warming.
• No need for fer tili zers or the buil dup of to xi c man ur e la goo ns: On well-managed
pasture-based farms, the animals spread their manure evenly over the soil where it becomes a
natural source of organic fertilizer. The manure improves the quality of the grass, which
increases the rate of weight gain of the animals. It’s a closed, sustainable system.
• Les s soil eros io n: Currently, the United States is losing three billion tons of nutrient-rich
topsoil each year. Growing corn and soy causes six times more soil erosion than pasture.
• H eal thi er so il: Grazing is better for the soil than growing grain. Six Minnesota pasturebased ranchers asked researchers to compare the health of their soil with soil from
neighboring farms that produced corn, soybean, oats, or hay. At the end of four years of
monitoring, researchers concluded that the carefully managed grazed land had 53% greater
soil stability, 131% more earthworms, more organic matter, less nitrate pollution of
groundwater and provided a better habitat for grassland birds and other wildlife.
“You’ve got to understand that 70% of all the row crops in the united states … are grown for multistomached herbivores (cows), that aren’t ever supposed to eat that anyway. Only 30% goes to people,
pigs and poultry. So if we went to a grass-based agriculture for our cattle, suddenly 70% of that
currently assaulted land could return to a mob-stocking, herbivorous, solar-conversion, lignified,
carbon-sequestration, fertilization program, and all the negatives in agriculture would come to a
screeching halt.” Joel Salatin, in FR ES H.
11
E CO NO MIC B ENEFI T S
“If we just had every person…spend ten dollars a week (on small, local farmers), I mean that would be
such a small percentage of their overall food budget but it would make such a huge statement and have
such a huge economic impact. Not only on the small family farms but to the economy, because the
amount of money generated by that would be tripled or quadrupled by what it would bring back to our
local economies and our rural areas, which are really dying.” Diana Endicott, in FR ES H .
Eatin g l oc al s upp orts o ur lo cal f ar mers: American farmers, on average, receive only about 20
cents for every dollar we spend on food at the supermarket. The rest goes to processing,
transportation, packing, and other marketing costs. In addition, these farmers, on average, get to keep
only ten to fifteen cents from every dollar they earn; the rest pays for fertilizer, fuel, machinery, and other
production expenses — items typically manufactured and often provided by suppliers outside of the
local community. Farmers who sell food direct to local customers, on the other hand, receive the full
retail value for everything they sell, a dollar for each food dollar spent. Because they contribute a larger
proportion to the production process and purchase fewer commercial production inputs, they then get
to keep half or more of each food dollar they earn. It’s a win-win situation: they receive a larger
proportion of the total income as a return for their labor, management, and entrepreneurship.
Eatin g lo cal r evi tal izes o ur lo cal eco no mi es: Supporting local farmers also means supporting
our local economies. Farmers who sell locally also tend to spend locally, both for their personal and
farming needs, which also contribute more to the local economy. Indeed, the creation of local food
network creates new jobs and new business opportunities, in order to process, warehouse, and
distribute the products.
Eatin g lo cal hel ps sav e far mla n d: More than one million acres of U.S. farmland are lost each year
to residential and commercial development. The loss may seem small in relation to the total amount of
farmland — more than 950 million acres — we do have, but an acre lost to development is an acre lost
forever from food production.
A NIM AL H EAL T H B ENEFI T S
Animals raised on pasture enjoy a much higher quality of life than those confined within factory farms. When
raised on open pasture, animals are able to move around freely and carry out their natural behaviors. This
lifestyle is impossible to achieve on industrial farms, where thousands of animals are crowded into confined
facilities, often without access to fresh air or sunlight. These stressful conditions are a breeding ground for
bacteria and the animals frequently become ill, so factory farms must routinely treat them with antibiotics to
prevent outbreaks of disease.
12
B IO S
Abo ut the f il mmak er
Ana Jo an es — producer and director of FR ES H, is a Swiss-born
documentary filmmaker whose work addresses pressing social issues through
character-driven narratives.
After traveling internationally to study the
environmental and cultural impacts of globalization, she graduated from
Columbia Law School in May 2000, awarded as a Stone Scholar and Human
Rights Fellow. Thereafter, Ana created Reel Youth, a video production
program for youth coming out of detention. In 2003, Ana and her friend
Andrew Unger produced Generation Meds, a documentary exploring our fears and misgivings about
mental illness and medication. FR ES H is Ana’s second feature documentary.
Abo ut the p ar ti cip an ts f ea tured i n FRE S H:
Will Al len — 6’ 7” former professional basketball player Will Allen is now one
of the most influential leaders of the food security and urban farming movement.
His farm and not-for-profit organization, Growing Power, has trained and
inspired people in every corner of the U.S. to start growing food sustainably.
This man and his organization go beyond growing food. They provide a
platform for people to share knowledge and form relationships in order to
develop alternatives to the industrial food system.
Dav i d Bal l — Supermarket owner and innovator, David Ball is the founder of
Good Natured Family Farms, an alliance of 75 family farms surrounding the
Kansas City metro area. They sell everything from locally produced honey to
angus beef to locally owned and operated independent supermarkets,
challenging our Wal-Mart-dominated economy. With the rise of big chain
stores, David Ball saw his family-run supermarket dying, along with a oncethriving local farm community. He reinvented his business, partnering with area
farmers to sell locally grown food and specialty food products at an affordable price. His plan has
brought the local economy back to life.
John Ik er d — raised on a small dairy farm in southwest Missouri, Ikerd
received his BS, MS, and Ph.D. degrees in agricultural economics from the
University of Missouri. He worked in private industry for a time and spent
thirty years in various professorial positions at North Carolina State University,
Oklahoma State University, University of Georgia, and the University of
Missouri before retiring in early 2000. Since retiring, he spends most of his time
writing and speaking on issues related to sustainability with an emphasis on
economics and agriculture. Ikerd is author of Sustainable Capitalism, A Return to Common Sense,
Small Farms are Real Farms, and Crisis and Opportunity: Sustainability in American Agriculture.
“We can tip the balance of nature to a certain extent, but when we try to tip it too far it creates
problems.” – John Ikerd
13
An drew K i mbr ell — Kimbrell is a public interest attorney, activist and
author. He has been involved in public interest legal activity in numerous areas
of technology, human health and the environment. After working for eight years
as the Policy Director at the Foundation for Economic Trends, Kimbrell
established the International Center for Technology Assessment (CTA) in 1994
and the Center for Food Safety (CFS) in 1997. Kimbrell has written several
books and given numerous public lectures on a variety of issues. He has been
featured on radio and television programs across the country, including The Today Show, the CBS
Morning Show, Crossfire, Headlines on Trial, and Good Morning America. He has lectured at
dozens of universities throughout the country and has testified before congressional and regulatory
hearings. In 1994, the Utne Reader named Kimbrell as one of the world’s leading 100 visionaries.
“Medium sized organic is far more productive than industrial-sized agriculture.” – Andrew Kimbrell
Russ Kremer — 15 years ago, Russ Kremer ran an industrial hog confinement
operation in Frankenstein, Missouri. Following standard practices, he fed his
pigs daily doses of antibiotic for growth efficiency and to ward off illnesses.
Then, one day Russ was gored by one of his hogs and nearly died from an
antibiotic-resistant infection. He realized the danger posed by the overuse of
antibiotics, and immediately transformed his farm. Today his hogs are
antibiotic-free. Russ is the founder of the Ozark Mountain Pork Coop and the
president of the Missouri Farmers Union.
Mic ha el Poll an — Michael Pollan is the author, most recently, of In Defense
of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. His previous book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma:
A Natural History of Four Meals, was named one of the ten best books of 2006
by the New York Times and the Washington Post. He is also the author of The
Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World, A Place of My Own, and
Second Nature. A contributing writer to the New York Times Magazine,
Pollan is the recipient of numerous journalistic awards, including the James
Beard Award for best magazine series in 2003 and the Reuters-I.U.C.N. 2000 Global Award for
Environmental Journalism. Pollan served for many years as executive editor of Harper’s Magazine and
is now the Knight Professor of Science and Environmental Journalism at UC Berkeley.
Joel Sala tin — world-famous sustainable farmer and entrepreneur, Joe Salatin
and his farming methods are hailed by Michael Pollan (also featured in
FRE S H), author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma. Joel Salatin writes in his
website that he is “in the redemption business: healing the land, healing the food,
healing the economy, and healing the culture.” By closely observing nature, Joel
created a rotational grazing system that not only allows the land to heal but also
allows the animals to behave the way the were meant to — as in expressing their
“chicken-ness” or “pig-ness”, as Joel would say.
“Let’s treat the herbivore like an herbivore first and then the other things will fall into place.” – Joel
Salatin
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ana Sofia joanes
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