Pollan invite upsets alumni

Cal Poly schedules panel discussion after ag outcry

By CECILIA PARSONS

Capital Press

Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo's decision to schedule food activist Michael Pollan has sparked widespread criticism from the production agriculture community.

The Oct. 15 event is being hosted by the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Science's Sustainable Agriculture Resource Consortium. Pollan will also be a featured speaker at a sold-out fundraising event for SARC on Oct. 14. The consortium was founded in 2000 to serve the agriculture department in its sustainability efforts.

Pollan, author of "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and other books questioning the sustainability of U.S. food production, has been a vocal critic of production systems. There have been similar controversies on college campuses, most recently Washington State University, when Pollan has been asked to speak.

Pollan was initially scheduled to be the only speaker at the free, open-to-the-public event Oct. 15. The format was changed to a panel discussion following an outcry from agriculture industry leaders.

Joining Pollan on the panel will be meat science authority Gary Smith from Colorado State University and Tonya Antle, vice president of organic sales for Earthbound Farm Organic. Panelists will speak about current challenges and issues in food production, including perspectives on sustainability.

The change in the event format came a week after Harris Ranch Beef Co. Chairman David Wood sent a letter to Cal Poly President Warren Baker. Wood, a Cal Poly alumnus, said the event was causing him to rethink his financial support of the university, including a $500,000 pledge toward a new meat processing facility.

In a letter to Dave Wehner, dean of the school of agriculture, Wood said he has received hundreds of phone calls and e-mails from concerned alumni from across the U.S., including some who serve on various advisory councils for the ag department. Wood said none were in support of Pollan's appearance.

Mike Smith, also with Harris Beef, was much more direct in a phone interview on Oct. 5. He charged that the school "drug its heels" in changing the format to a more balanced presentation.

Pollan declined to comment.

In his writings, Pollan has characterized Harris Ranch and its cattle feed program as the "epitome of unsustainablility." Smith expressed outrage that the school would offer a speaker who denigrated a food production system that feeds people worldwide.

Another Cal Poly alumnus, Dave Spaulding, confirmed there has been much discussion among alumni over Pollan's invitation to speak. Spaulding, who is with Western Milling and O.H. Kruse Grain and Milling, said this issue has been the tipping point for many alumni and ag department supporters who are unhappy with changes in the university's agriculture department.

Wehner disputed the notion that Pollan's appearance is an endorsement of his views by the university. In a phone interview, he also said the ag department heads urged there be a panel discussion for a more balanced presentation.

Pollan, he said, stipulated that he either be a single speaker or a member of a panel. He did not have a say in who the other panelists would be, Wehner said.

Pollan's invitation to speak came from SARC, Wehner said. It is paying him $20,000 total for both speaking engagements. The school's agriculture department kicked in $5,000 toward the speaking fee, and Wehner stressed that the money came from his discretionary funds, not from any department budget.

Cal Poly Animal Science Department head Andrew Thulin agreed that the Pollan invitation has had a polarizing effect on students, faculty and alumni, but questioned how one person speaking for an hour at the school would make the department insensitive to agriculture.

"We do a disservice to our students if they are not aware of Pollan's viewpoint. We're not endorsing what he has to say, but asking students to think through the arguments," Thulin said.

Hunter Francis, program coordinator for SARC, described Pollan's talk as a learning opportunity for students. Francis also said he could see why Pollan's appearance at the school disturbs those in production agriculture.

"The industry is facing a lot of serious challenges with water, labor, food safety and regulations and they are sensitive to criticism because of those challenges," Francis said.

Cecilia Parsons is a staff writer based in Ducor. E-mail: cparsons@capitalpress.com.