With American's making a hobby out of hunting, and an ever growing population, the consumption of meat seems only natural in North America. Our desire for instant gratification has led to the exploitation of animals, and they are being raised in worse conditions than ever to meet the needs of our population. We have access to more meat so we take it and abuse it. Cows, chickens and pigs are seen as food before animals in our culture which also contributes to the amount we are able to consume. North Americans seem to value instant gratification and being able to eat whatever they want without thinking about what they're actually putting into their body.

When I began the challenge I had never previously heard of the term "silvopasture". After learning about I think that the biggest advantage of it is that it benefits both the farmers and the environment equally. The only slight downside is that the it is costly in the initial stages. After it is set up, however it pays off over time. To me, there really seems like there is no reason to not turn to silvopasture. It would be beneficial for everyone.

I had not learned about "silvopasture" before now. I think one of its biggest benefits comes from the integrating of tree planting with livestock grazing. As the USDA puts it, "Silvopasture can provide economic returns while creating a sustainable system with many environmental benefits.

I think Americans eat so much meat because of how accessible it is in grocery stores and how much it is advertised in the media. We are easily influenced by the media and seeing how meat and meat eating is portrayed in movies, commercials, tv shows, and in social media, gives the idea that we should all be eating meat too. 

Capitalism and advertising; they make more money of the exploitation of animals so they advertise it as being the best option for consumers in order to ensure that they get their moneys worth 

No, I had not heard of “silvopasture” before now. Silvopasture is “the intentional combination of trees, forage plants and livestock together as an integrated, intensively-managed system” (aftaweb). I think that the biggest advantage to silvopasture are the silver cultural benefits. These benefits include nitrogen-fixing forage species, pasture fertilization and animal manure, which all help improve the soil and tree nutrition. Grazing controls competing brushy species and reduces fire hazard. Competition between trees is less at the wider spacings employed with silvopasture. The result is greater timber yield.

After researching I now will be able to not throw away "expired" food so fast. Since I know the dates just indicate peak freshness for the most part but after that date, they are still edible and will not make you ill in any way.