Back to The Land

By allowing the use of vaccines and growth hormones in the cattle industry, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has turned meat into an abundant and cheap product. Alongside numerous changes to the modes of production that the American food industry has undergone during the 20th century, local initiatives have begun to emerge across the country. Their goal: to shortcut the classic industry built around mass-consumerism and re-discover "honest food". Ben is one of these Americans who wants to know and control where their food comes from. Living in the urban area of Salt Lake City, he and his wife Katherine have organized their house and backyard in order to produce most of their own food. They raise chickens, ducks, and geese for meat and eggs; they grow, harvest, and preserve an extensive array of fruits andvegetables; and they brew and ferment beer, wine, and cider in their basement. A few years ago, Ben decided to go further in self-sustainability by hunting his own meat. Each fall, he leaves Salt Lake City and drives into the mountains of northeastern Utah to hunt elk and game birds. With a horse in tow, he hikes up the 10,000-foot high mountains where he can spend up to a week tracking elk. It's been two years since Ben bought meat from a classic supermarket.