This week, I’m finishing up reading Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food. The book is written by Gene Baur, President and Co-Founder of Farm Sanctuary, which runs the largest rescue and refuge network for farm animals in North America. I’ve been a fan of the Sanctuary since I first discovered it in 2006.

This book, along with Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, really does make one think about where food comes from, and at what expense to the animals, the environment, and public health. Neither book bashes the small, family-operated farm with a conscience, but instead brings to light what goes on in Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations. or CAFOs, where animals are treated as commodities. And even if one isn’t so concerned about the animals, one should care about the antibiotics they’re being fed that seep into the food supply. Or the waste that’s created that’s polluting the environment.

I am not a vegan, or even a strict vegetarian. As I explained to my Farm Sanctuary guide on my first visit, I gave up eating pork after I saw the movie Babe. Turns out this wasn’t such a foolish confession after all, as James Cromwell (the farmer in the movie), is a big supporter of the Sanctuary. Since my first visit to the Sanctuary, I still do not eat pork, and I have given up red meat. I am an aspiring vegetarian, so my goal isn’t to judge anyone else. I’m just trying to be a better me.