Free-Range Farming

April 1, 2016
Grades 5-8 The Growing Green series investigates the ins and outs of conscientious eating and agriculture, and this entry puts free-range farming under the microscope. The text begins with a look at commercial farming, comparing the benefits of increased production and lower costs with negatives like pollution and animal cruelty. Then it goes on to explain the free-range movement and motivations of its supporters (health and environmental concerns, animal welfare), as well as the challenges of this type of farming. Within the text, the term free-range remains murky, largely due to imprecision within the food industryfree-range animals might graze in fields or simply have access to a patch of outdoor gravel. Good information can be gleaned from this book, but readers are more likely to come away with questions than as inspired agents of change.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)