From Farm to Table

Abram Kaplan, associate professor of environmental studies, began teaching a course called Farmscape back in 2007. It allowed students to study Ohio farmland preservation—the effort to save the land from development—and gave them a chance to visit nearby farms, documenting the issue through photographs. When he learned that the intellectual theme for Denison’s 2009-10 school year would be “Consumption” and that many speakers and events on campus would focus on issues facing the American food system, he revamped the class. So students taking the Farmscape course last year got a taste of something a little different. In addition to visiting farms across the state, their fieldwork included time spent at a grocery store, a local orchard, a meat processing plant. Some came away declaring themselves vegetarians. Some vowed to buy local. Some considered it all a priceless lesson in where our food comes from, but didn’t plan to change a thing. They all, however, walked away with some telling images and a new appreciation for how our food makes it to our mouths.