Pig Wrestling: Chasing Tales of Modern Swine Production Systems

Abstract

First paragraphs:

No matter the subject, Barry Estabrook is a writer whose experiences in the world of food and agriculture are wide and deep. Pig Tales: An Omnivore's Quest for Sustainable Meat is no excep­tion. The title gives his approach away: this is a collection of tales from his travels and interviews to understand pig nature and produc­tion. He con­tinually engages the reader by supply­ing deep back­stories for his most significant interviewees. It is obvious he connects personally with each one, is able to put them at ease and thus get at the truth of their situations.

Pig Tales begins with a scene of courtroom drama in which Estabrook almost gets arrested for being himself attending a trial in in which neighbors maintain that the concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) built nearby emits such foul odors they cannot be outside on their own property. The judge in the case is leery of his presence because of his previous book, Tomatoland, and so has him removed—an action that propels Barry on his journey.