Today we visited the Grinnell Heritage farm as well as the farm on the Meskwaki settlement. The message and overall stance on the ag business at the Meskwaki farm was very much like the message we heard at the Grinnell farm. I was surprised at how little I connected with the people at the Grinnell farm. The Grinnell heritage farm is an anti GMO- anti pesticide anti big ag, organic farm. We chatted with the owner of the farm, and he illustrated an apocalyptic point of view that America was in a state of failure and was on the path to major destruction. He portrayed the agriculture industry as evil and almost beyond saving. I found that the rhetoric he used, such as strong negative language, put me as a listener into a defensive place as I felt a bit like I was being told I was a part of the problem and I should be doing more and if I wasn’t on their side I was dumb. I found that this put me off just as much as the extreme other side displayed at Corteva and Monsanto. I also found that I actually even preferred the more positive rhetoric of moving to a better future and making a difference and excitement toward the future and new opportunities that Corteva and Monsanto had. On paper, I felt like I would be very gung-ho about Grinnell and their mission but the language and framing of their message was very aggressive and I found it to be very off putting. The message at the farm on the Meskwaki settlement was much more positive and hopeful and I really enjoyed my time there.