Michael Pollan, author of ""In Defense of Food,"" discussed his book and the agriculture industry along with three other panelists Friday as part of UW-Madison's Go Big Read program.
Students, faculty, alumni, organic grocers, farmers and Madison residents joined to listen and ask questions about food production and consumption as a follow-up to Pollan's presentation Thursday at the Kohl Center.
According to Pollan, his book tends to polarize debate about the food industry, especially because it categorizes different groups of farmers and seems to only portray one way of doing things.
Panelist and UW Health science writer Susan Lampert Smith began her thoughts with an introduction to Mildred, a chicken she and her husband raised on their farm.
According to Smith, it is expensive to raise chickens, which is why her chickens cost so much more than those at grocery stores. She said there have been a lot of problems getting the chickens processed into an edible product.
Smith also discussed Pollan's book and how it was a ""hot topic"" in her class.
""We talked about [""In Defense of Food""] in my class yesterday,"" she said. ""It was a rocking discussion; class got out 15 minutes later than it usually does and I finally left about five of them in the classroom to carry on the discussion because I had to leave for work.""
UW-Madison senior Andrea Bloom represented the student population on the panel. Bloom grew up next door to her grandparents' dairy farm and believes the people who work hard with passion and pride every day strengthen the agricultural industry.
""I am very much engaged in and influenced by the Go Big Read program,"" Bloom said. ""Because I am from a small town ... reading Mr. Pollan's book ‘In Defense of Food' in a way took me back home.""
Bloom said she is ""living her dream"" at UW-Madison and studying what she loves because of the assistance of farmers.
