Small Family Farm Rhetorical Analysis

Anna Livermore February 27, 2024 Ms. Cox Food in Literature

Newman vs. Salatin

In July of 2019, Chris Newman wrote an article titled “Small Family Farms Aren’t the Answer”, arguing the necessity of evolving restorative agriculture to remain competitive in the broader market. Published on the public platform Medium.com, Newman strategically establishes ethos, pathos, and logos to criticize the praise of small family farms as well as the culture of farmers markets. As a solution, he advocates for a farmer’s co-op. His proficient organization and balanced establishment of ethos, pathos, and logos contribute to the effectiveness of his argument. Several months later, Joel Salatin, owner of Polyface Farms, responded to Newman’s article on his

He leans heavily on ethos and pathos and often forgets to establish logos to persuade his readers. In contrast to Salatin’s emotionally charged and poorly structured response, Newman’s article is the more convincing argument due to its organization and persuasiveness. Joel Salatin is a strong advocate for his method of farming, which emphasizes the imitation of the symbiotic relationships found in nature. Salatin draws a parallel to how, “in nature, you’ll always find birds following herbivores,”(Pollan 211) by using a technique he’s especially proud of, “Egg Mobiles.” To create this natural relationship, he uses an old wagon to house laying hens and moves it periodically to synchronize with the grazing patterns of his cows. In comparison to the conventional idea of efficiency associated with large-scale industrial farming, “Salatin’s farm makes the case for a very different sort of efficiency--the one found in natural systems.” (Pollan 214) Beyond his agricultural practices, Salatin places a significant emphasis on fostering an intimate relationship between consumers and farmers. He manifests this belief in the transparency of Polyface Farms, where