Key Vocabulary & Terminology

Vocabulary flashcards covering agricultural, industrial, and ecological concepts from the lecture.

The Omnivore's Dilemma

The dilemma humans face because we can eat almost anything: with so many food choices, how do we know what is safe, healthy, and good to eat?

Maize

a high-yielding grass that adapted to human needs.

Hybrid Corn

is produced by cross-breeding distinct strains to create high-yielding, uniform crops.

Monoculture

Growing a single crop over a massive agricultural area year after year (e.g., millions of acres of corn across lowa).

CAFO

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation — a massive industrial feedlot facility where animals like cattle are confined and fattened quickly on corn grain.

Feedlot & Steer

A _________is where a _______(young castrated male cows raised for beef) are penned together and fed a diet of processed corn and grain before slaughter.

Acidosis

A painful, dangerous digestive condition in cattle caused by eating grain (corn) instead of grass, which their multi-chambered ruminant stomachs evolved to digest.

Ruminant

A mammal (like a cow, sheep, or goat) with a specialized stomach designed to digest grass and forage through fermentation.

High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)

A highly processed liquid sweetener derived from corn starch that is added to sodas, snacks, condiments, and processed foods.

Commodity

A uniform crop traded in bulk.

Grain Elavator

massive storage facilities where harvested corn from thousands of farms is mixed together.

Farm Subsidies

Government payments to farmers that encourage them to produce as much corn as possible, keeping industrial raw materials cheap even when market prices drop.

Nitrogen Fertilizer

Chemical fertilizer added to soil to force corn to grow closely together; producing it requires vast amounts of fossil fuel (petroleum).

What does Michel Pollan do as a food detective?

He acts as a food detective by tracing the invisible chain of

industrial food from our plates back through processing plants to the corn fields of Iowa.

Mexican diet

Mexicans consume corn directly (about 50% of their daily calories), mostly

as corn tortillas or sweet corn.

American Diet

______________ actually consume more corn than Mexicans, but it is "hidden"

in processed forms — corn-fed beef, chicken, pork, high-fructose corn syrup in drinks,

cornstarch, and additives.

What does voting with your fork mean?

Every time you spend money on food, you are using your dollars as

"votes" to support a specific food system.

Industrial food depends heavily on fossil fuels for?

1. Creating synthetic nitrogen fertilizer.

2. Fueling massive farm machinery (tractors, combines).

3. Transporting grain, feed, and finished food product across the country.