Farmland

A great look at why we need and should thank farmers every day. Thank you for telling the other side of the story in a beautiful and honest way!

Fun

We as Americans don’t give enough credit or respect farmers enough. They are amazing individuals, who are passionate and love what they do m. They feed us and I hope that the USDA and the Fed Gvt starts to protect these farmers so future generations can continue to provide for those that are not working 18 hour days, doing back breaking work! So much respect for these individuals. Hope everyone learns something from watching this documentary

This was an amazingly informative documentary. I especially liked the information about GMOs vs. non GMOs. The only disappointment for me was not seeing any farmers of color, as I wonder what their experiences are. One of the concerns raised was that the average age of farmers is 57 years old. So, it would have been helpful to show the broad spectrum of those who farm to truly show that this land was made for you and me. For example, Jason Brown, who left his lucrative NFL career to farm and feed the needy, would have been a great addition.

As Mark Twain wrote: "If you don't read the news you're uninformed, if you read the news you're misinformed"That's truer today more than ever in regards to farming with all the debate & controversy about GMO's, pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, hormones, etc. The masses are more inclined to believe some media personality or self proclaimed "scientist" that have never farmed a day in their life, over people who've been farming for several generations. People are too consumed by what's printed on a wrapper for marketing purposes than what's actually inside it. In short, people are oblivious, their notion of "organic" farming is a fairytale, there is no such thing as 100% natural, chemical free, mass production farming. Without modified seed & herbicides/pesticides, crops would be far more susceptible to the environment & climate, resulting in considerably lower yields and mass crop failures. And quite frankly, the world's growing population could never survive without them.Many people also have this stereotypical picture that farmers are all a bunch of uneducated, backwater hicks; when in reality, nothing could be further from the truth. In many ways, the management, logistics, and technology of modern farming is far beyond what those who ridicule it could comprehend. Unlike many jobs/careers which are dependent on single/exclusive skill set, In farming, you need dozens of skills.

What an excellent and informative documentary. I will recommend it to all my favorite people.

There is one first generation farmer who runs a CSA who is s revolving subject of the film. The rest of the farmers are larger, multigenerational businesses that seem more industrial in nature. The film does discuss to a limited, surface degree the idea of farming as a business vs our romantic images of farming. Which is understandable as this is edutainment. It was also interesting to note how many of the farmers had brief clips speaking spanish to employees, but this wasn't commented on directly in the film. Depending on your reasons for being interested in the film, this may just get to the surface of many different sides of farming. For what it is, it is professionally filmed and enjoyable. The director definitely got some good interviews from the subjects that brought out their humanity and the real issues and decisions that they faced in farming.

This film is a response to the many critical food documentaries that criticize the treatment of food animals and the use of pesticides and chemicals in agriculture. It is a film meant to paint the farmers of America in a positive and hopeful light. After watching it, I do have a sense of respect for farmers and the risks they are taking. As another reviewer said: "A well done film, it shows a personal side of agriculture that is missing in most films on the subject. It is about the farmer and the family and the risks, work, and passion involved in producing food for the rest of us."However, this film doesn't truly address the issues our society is starting to bring up with agriculture. In terms of animal abuse, the farmers simply say, 'oh, it's unfortunate and unthinkable that those farmers do that' and simply dismiss it as individual cases that do not represent the industry as a whole. Fair enough. But that doesn't really address the issue. In terms of GMOs, the film argues that without pesticides and chemicals, they would not be able to meet demand. OK let's give them that. But the debate ins't about whether we can feed the world. It is about whether the food that we are producing is making us sick. One of the farmers even says that by the time their produce reaches the consumer, these chemicals have broken down to that point that there is no harm to consumers' health. To me this sounds anecdotal more than anything.I would watch this documentary with a skeptical eye. I understand the point the film is trying to sell, but it simply doesn't cut it.

I am a future "farm wife" and I wanted to get a better understanding of the agriculture industry and how it works. A lot of things in this movie I knew already, but it was encouraging to see the stories of farmers from different parts of the U.S. and their different operations. My only suggestion would be to make it longer! I was sad when it was over. But, I realize that not everyone wants to see a three-hour documentary on farming. Very well put together.

Excellent movie, very well done.

Very interesting documentary.