Questions for Panels

 

Questions for Animal Confinement Panel

  1. What health effects do CAFOs have on humans?
  2. What types of animals are housed in CAFOs?
  3. What harm do animals in CAFOs suffer?
  4. Are CAFOs beneficial to the animals or the farmers or both?
  5. How much space is allotted to animals of various kinds when they are kept in CAFOs?
  6. If space allotted in CAFOs is not large enough, where would you suggest that animals be placed?
  7. Do confinement areas differ for different animals?
  8. How does the health of animals kept in CAFOs compare with animals that are not?
  9. Does the food that comes from animals kept in CAFOs have the same nutritional value as food that comes from animals that are not?
  10. What are the specific reasons for keeping animals in CAFOs?
  11. What is your definition of humane treatment of animals?
  12. What do you propose to do with current CAFOs if they are outlawed?
  13. What are the alternatives for producing animal food products for a large population if we donŐt have CAFOs?
  14. Do CAFOs increase the spread of diseases among animals? If so, what kinds of diseases, and how do CAFO managers deal with the problem?
  15. What percentage of our food derived from animals (dairy, eggs, meats) in the supermarkets come from CAFOs?

 

 

Questions for Organic vs. Conventional Farming Panel

  1. Does conventional farming have any system of tracking a food product like the audit trail for organic food?
  2. What specifically makes one type of farming beneficial than the other?
  3. Is the rotation for planting cycle longer for organic than for conventional farming?
  4. How is conventional farming better than organic farming?
  5. Since most of the panel is organic, what makes it so bad?
  6. What financial advantages to farmers and consumers does conventional farming produce?
  7. What requirements must be met in order to earn organic certification?
  8. If you are in support of conventional farming, do you also support the use of hazardous chemicals?
  9. Does one method of farming produce more nutritional food than the other? If so, please explain some of the superiorities.
  10. Is food produced organically safe for human consumption?
  11. How do organic farmers deal with animals that become ill?
  12. Does organic farming benefit us more than conventional farming in any of these areas: Health? World hunger? Yields? Price?
  13. Presently the American population spends less than 10% of their gross income on food. If food continues to rise, will organic foods remain affordable?
  14. What are the benefits of each type of farming?
  15. Is organic farming better for the environment than conventional farming? If so, in what ways?
  16. What would make organic farming work better?
  17. What would make conventional farming less controversial?
  18. Would it be feasible to grow organic in your home town area?

 

 

Questions for GMO Panel

  1. Are protests against GMOs very common?
  2. What is the most common issue people protest?
  3. What percent of our food has GMO ingredients in it?
  4. Are there benefits to GMOs?
  5. Is farming with GMOs a realistic and sustainable agriculture?
  6. One argument for GMO farming is that it makes the fields look clean. Why is this important to farmers?
  7. What concerns are voiced about future effects of GMOs? Are you concerned about these effects?
  8. What benefits do GMOs offer farmers?
  9. What benefits do GMOs offer consumers?
  10. Will the use of GMOs help alleviate hunger?
  11. Do civil protests actually advance the cause of anit-GMO or do they work against the cause?
  12. What are the testing procedures for GMO health safety and environmental impact?
  13. What is the ration of farmers in favor of GMOs?
  14. How informed is the general public about GMOs?
  15. How will we be able to provide food for third world countries without GMOs?

 

 

Questions for Ethanol Panel

  1. How efficient is ethanol compared to gasoline?
  2. What is the energy input and output of ethanol?
  3. Are there substitutes for corn ethanol?
  4. Is the primary goal of producing ethanol to save the environment, free us from imported oil, or produce profits for members of the corn lobby association?
  5. What are the negative effects of ethanol?
  6. How is ethanol produced?
  7. Does ethanol production really pose a threat to water supplies?
  8. What role will ethanol play in future years?
  9. How much corn is allotted for the production of ethanol?
  10. What is the biggest concern about ethanol?
  11. Why should people switch to ethanol?
  12. Will the use of ethanol improve the environment in the long run?
  13. What are the positives of using ethanol?
  14. Is producing and using ethanol economic?
  15. If the  $0.51 subsidy per gallon of ethanol were dropped, how well would ethanol do in a free market?
  16. What is the energy efficiency of ethanol? Can it be improved?
  17. How are small-town ethanol plants benefiting the industry? The local economy?