Final Portfolio

English 2010 Scott Petty

Scott Petty Professor Holloway English 2010 4/21/14 E-Portfolio - http://scottport.weebly.com/ Reflection Essay In English 2010 I learned many different writing techniques that will help me through my life and career. Depending on the situation the way you argue your point can change to meet your goal for the paper. You may use an argument strategy to disagree with an issue or support an issue, you may want to be bold and aggressive the way you argue or more subtle in the way you get your points across. It all depends on the way you personally choose to reach the reader and make your points for or against the issue. Also important for well written and presented paper are the style and design choices that are made in the process. I learned that using visuals can help make my points stand out and have more impact when used correctly. The design of the paper all depends on what type of paper you are writing and what you wish to accomplish for the reader. A pamphlet will be much different than a research paper for instance; where a research paper has a plain, straight forward design and the pamphlet may bit a bit more fun and simple. Different genres require different techniques and styles many times, and are used for different things. A profile is a paper about a person and how they relate an issue or a topic that you wish to present to the readers. The profile helps the reader understand the issue because now it is presented in a personal, real way to them. For example, if I am trying to get across that a particular thing is bad, I may use a profile of a person that is effected by that particular thing to show the reader that it does have real

life consequences. An Argument paper is very different, it is a straight forward paper where it is the writers job to present credible facts about an issue, show both sides of the issue, and then argue for or against it. In an argument paper you are explaining why one would take either side, there may be good and bad about an issue, and both sides need to be explained to give the reader good background knowledge about it. A Commentary is a bit different because it requires the writer to take a bold stance on a subject, the need to show the reader their personal opinion on it and make it very clear that they feel a certain way. When writing a commentary the facts need to be presented and sources for information should be cited to be a good credible paper, but it is more personal than an argument paper because of the bold personal stance that is taken. As I mentioned earlier, a pamphlet is not like a typical document you would write, it is more based on design that attracts the reader to it, then once it draws attention it presents interesting information to the reader, a fact sheet is very similar but is used to present a longer list of information. The process of putting together a paper is to first think of what your topic will be to write about, after that you put together a list of all the things you could say about the topic. After you get the document together it is peer reviewed and revised accordingly. For all the different papers that I wrote and different genres I used I had to focus on what I wanted to accomplish specifically for each one. It was a long process for each paper that was written and sticking to my goals for each one was a must. The research that went into each needed to be well thought out, I had to understand what I wished to accomplish while I did research on the topic and found my sources. I needed to match my intentions for the paper with the research I did in order to put together a well written paper. After the research was done and sources were decided upon, It was necessary to cite them correctly through the paper in order to present credible facts to the reader.

For the class we were put into groups to work as a team and come up with an issue of concern that would be our writing topic through the semester. As a group we wanted to come up with a general topic that could have many sub topics. Also, as a group, we wanted to decide on a topic that could have strong arguments for or against them. As a group we decided on agriculture, because we feel there is a lot of debate in that area for many different things from treatment of livestock to the use of chemicals (which became my sub topic to work on). I learned so much about the issues with agriculture through my time in class, and I feel I presented good information as well. I learned that collaboration is a huge part of a good writing process; we helped each other succeed in what we wanted to accomplish. At first I was hesitant to work with other writers because I couldnt understand why that would be helpful, I have written papers before and it didnt seem all that necessary. But I am glad that I got to see that working with other writers is very beneficial to everyone in the process and is a huge help. In order to be a good participant in the group I learned that constructive criticism is a good skill to learn, and being able to take criticism is a must as well. Comments I made to help fellow writers were mostly about technical things, like making pictures larger for the reader and using citations correctly. Sometimes I made comments about a few places in papers that I felt could be worded a bit different to help readers understand what the writer wishes to convey. I also used comments made by my peers to improve on my own papers. I remember one suggestion in particular about my commentary paper; my peer suggested I add more personal thought through my paper to help the reader understand my position. It was very helpful because at first I didnt even notice that I didnt add very much personal thought at all, I mostly had only research, so it was a huge help to me. And I also had suggestions on technical aspects of my papers, such as improving my citations and sentence structure. When I was revising documents I mostly went off of peer reviews to help me adjust and improve on them. For my portfolio I took out my question and answer interview and added the interview comments throughout the paper to make it look more professional. I fixed many paragraphs to help the

paper fit in with my issue better. As I mentioned earlier I revised my commentary paper to have more strong personal opinion throughout, instead of just pure research. I revised my fact sheet to make visuals stand out more and I improved on my citations to make the paper more credible. My argument paper I fixed some grammar and revised the sentence structure in some areas. When putting together my final portfolio, I knew I wanted to add my Argument and portfolio papers. The reason for that is my argument paper delivers the issue of chemicals used in agriculture to the reader and helps them familiarize themselves with it, then the profile paper shows them how a farmer named Max Pyne finds a way to reduce the amount he uses for environmental reasons. I think they go well together. In the final portfolio I will first add this reflection essay, then after I will add my two papers to complete my portfolio. I think it will show how I have advanced in my understanding of putting together well written papers, and will show what I have learned in class.

Scott Petty Professor Holloway English 2010 3/1/2014 Max Pyne uses fewer chemicals. Max Pyne is an apple and cherry grower who lives in Orem, Utah. He has been farming for most of his life and isnt stopping any time soon . Max only uses a small amount of chemicals to farm, but tries to use natural methods more often because it is better for the environment. You can tell from being around him that he cares about others and loves to provide for his community and at 92 years old he doesnt seem to be slowing down at all. His vision isnt what it once was and he needs a little help sometimes with some things, but a fire for life is very apparent in everything he does and mentally he is as witty and intelligent as most people in their 30s. I spoke with him about how he keeps pests away from crops because I think it would be a very difficult thing for anyone growing large amounts of crops to deal with. Chemicals used in agriculture is my main topic I focus on,
90 Years Young Max T. Pyne. N.d. Photograph. Daily Herald. Heral Extra. 2014. Web. 1 Mar. 2014.

because it seems to be the most common way, and most farmers use it to help them keep pests

at bay. Max Pyne doesnt use mainly pesticide, he uses natural ways and only pesticide if absolutely necessary. This moment in his life is about how he stays active on the farm and roadside apple selling business, and what it takes to grow these fruit. Every year on his large orchards he has to spray pesticide once a year for aphids and use natural ways to take care of crop destroying worms. Aphids are very hard to control, Females produce many generations during the summer and disperse throughout the orchard and to other orchards. Males appear in the fall and mate with the females that then lay overwintering eggs.( "Ministry of Agriculture.") He loves to talk about the natural ways of taking care of pests, you can tell he finds great joy in farming and explaining the ways to grow healthy crops. He explained that cellophane will confuse coddling moths and they will not be able to mate, I must admit that I found this humorous and so does he. Mating disruption is a relatively new codling moth control tactic that can be very effective in certain orchards. In this technique, the female sex pheromone of the codling moth is released in enormous quantities in the orchard, preventing the male moth from locating the female for mating.( Barrett, Bruce, Gleason, Mark, et al.) He said that pests have predator pests that eat them, so if you have the right invertebrates around they will also help a great deal in keeping other pests away. Many invertebrates, as well as bats and birds, feed upon crop pests and weeds. Providing food and shelter for these useful animals can help suppress unwelcome pest species. ( Jepson, Paul, Vaughan, Mace.) I think the way he farms is a huge breath of fresh air compared to other large orchard farmers who use only pesticides, Max Pyne focuses mainly on natural ways to take care of his crops while only using spray only when it is absolutely necessary, people can feel very

good about eating his healthy produce. His farm is a sustainable farm, because pesticides are only used very minimally and generally natural methods are used. A sustainable farm uses predator pests to kill off other pests, employ pest traps and only use pesticides are a last resort. ("Pesticides.") When he is done growing his apple and cherry crops every year, he sits at the road side and sells them in Orem. The people driving by are tempted by the large bushels of apples and his smile, and they cant help but buy them up. Many of his customers are return customers because they like to talk with him and they know that what they are buying is healthy. Getting out and selling apples makes him happy and
Smith, Patrick. Apple Man. 2009. Photograph. Patricksmithphotos.com. Patrick Smith Photos. Patrick Smith, 2014. Web. 1 Mar. 2014.

it keeps him active. I interviewed Max Pyne about

how he controls pests when he farms and he told me may interesting things that I had no idea about. He told me that he had been growing fruit for at least 65 years; he began after he was married in 1946. He told me it very hard to keep pests away from his crops, and that he has to use an oil spray to kill the eggs that were laid, or they would hatch and start eating his crops. As I mentioned earlier predator pests help keep pests away from crops, and Max told me that he uses them to his advantage to naturally keep them away from his crops. Max mentioned to me that apples are very hard to keep pests away from, he used to have to spray all the time before

he started using the more natural methods of keeping pests away. He told me that farming is very difficult and some farmers must result in spraying often if they dont have other methods. CONCLUSION Max Pyne has a great sense of humor and is very knowledgeable when it comes to farming. Talking with him helped me understand that it is not easy to keep pests off of crops, and pesticides are needed a lot of times. I think it is difficult to understand the challenges farmers face when making decisions about how to control pests, and speaking with him really opened my eyes. It is easy for a person who doesnt understand the difficulties to make assumptions about farming and what should or should not be used. But like Max Pyne, I hope other farmers can use more natural methods in the future to protect their crops.

Works Cited Barrett, Bruce, Gleason, Mark, et al. Codling Moth Management in apple. ND. Print. Jepson, Paul, Vaughan, Mace. Farming for Pest Management. The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. 2007. Print. Ministry of Agriculture." Tree Fruit Aphids. Province of British Columbia, Feb. 2010. Web. 01 Mar. 2014. <http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/cropprot/tfipm/aphids.htm>. Pesticides." GRACE Communications Foundation. GRACE Communications Foundation, 2014. Web. 28 Feb. 2014. <http://www.sustainabletable.org/263/pesticides>.

Scott Petty Professor Holloway English 2010 2/14/2014 Chemicals Used in Agriculture In the vast world of agriculture there is a heated controversy and along with it many debates over the wide use of chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides and also over the growth of genetically modified organisms. Many of the debates are over safety concerns, the controversy stems from many being afraid that these chemicals can cause harm to people and the environment. My goal will be to shine some light on both sides of these issues and make my argument against using chemicals in agriculture. PESTICIDE USE Pesticides have been used for a long time for their ability to ward off rodents and pests that can bring disease to man. Diseases such as malaria and yellow fever are no longer a problem for us due to the use of pesticides. (Pesticides: What are pesticides?) Pesticides are used to kill fleas on pets, to kill insects and help large farms grow a huge quantity of crops to help feed the hungry across the world. Without the
Katib, Abid. Palestinian Farmers Spray Insecticide on Greenhouse Crops South of Gaza City. N.d. Photograph. TLC. Discovery Communications, LLC, 2014. Web. 18 Feb. 2014. <http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/local-ororganic1.htm>.

proper use of pesticides there would be many people not able to get enough food and so many would starve. But with all the great reasons to use pesticides there are also many reasons to be cautious of using them, and to possibly even not use them at all and find a better method.

OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS Workers whose job is spraying pesticides need to take great care to protect themselves from exposure, by wearing proper protective equipment. Improperly used, pesticides can be very dangerous, and too much exposure to workers can lead to problems. Most essential to understand is that pesticides, by necessity, are poisons. (Pesticides: What are pesticides?) I think workers spraying these chemicals have a greater risk of health problems than the average person, because they have to be around the chemicals so much and deal with the risks associated with them. Workers given the job of spraying herbicides are at great risk for health problems with certain chemicals. In the subgroup of 13,831 workers exposed to phenoxy herbicides contaminated with TCDD or higher chlorinated dioxins, statistically significant excess mortality was observed from all malignant neoplasms (710 deaths). (Manolis, Becher, et al ) Workers that spray these chemicals know the risks of working with the chemicals, so they take care to avoid ingestion, and too much exposure to their skin. ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS Monitoring the environment and understanding what pesticides and other chemicals used are doing in nature are a great concern to people and the government as well. People may wonder if these chemicals are getting in streams, and in our water supply, and do they
Diagram Showing How Chemicals Applied to Land Can Take Varying Amounts of Time to Appear in Well Water. N.d. Photograph. USGS. 08 Mar. 2013. Web. 18 Feb. 2014. <http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/pesticidesgw.html>.

do harm to animals and the environment. I think that they do pose a risk to our water supply, A geological survey in central Nebraska showed pesticides Alachlor, Atrazine, and Cyanazine pose potential problems in the public water supply, and that they exceed HAL (lifetime health advisory).

(Geological Survey (U.S.)) The government monitors pesticides in nature, and they try to understand the health risks that they pose to humans and the environment. Knowing that these pesticides and herbicides are getting in our streams, and then into our
NATIONAL TREASURE: Montana's Stunning Glacier National Park Was Found to Contain High Levels of Both Pesticides and Toxic Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons. N.d. Photograph. Mother Nature Network. MNN Holdings, LLC, 2014. Web. 18 Feb. 2014. <http://www.mnn.com/earthmatters/wilderness-resources/stories/pesticidestravel-up-the-food-chain-straight-into-our-nat>

water supply, many wonder what the risks are after we ingest them in small quantities. PESTICIDES ON FOOD

For many people the great concern and controversy is over pesticide residue left on the food we consume and possibly in the water we drink. The reason these chemicals are used so widely is because they are a fantastic way to protect crops from all kinds of insects that would eat them and hurt the farms yield. They make life better for a farmer who doesnt have to worry if he is going to lose much of his crops do to all these pests, and many people have enough food to eat and do not have to go hungry because of these chemicals that protect the crops. But these chemicals leave a residue on the food, and the pores in the food absorb them to a degree and later we ingest the residue along with our fruits and veggies. It leaves people wondering what kinds of health impacts these can cause, and should they be cautious about eating them in the first place. I dont feel these chemicals should be used the way they are on food and I dont feel its safe. Pesticides can have a cumulative "toxic loading" effect both in the immediate and long term and each person accumulates and responds to chemicals in a way that is biochemically and biographically unique. (Pesticide Action Network) Many times there are mixtures of chemicals used on crops and they can have a synergistic effect combining to create chemical cocktail residue, and very little research has been done on how it interacts in the human body. (Pesticide Action Network) DDT is a very harsh pesticide that hasnt been used in the US since 1972 because of the

harm it caused to animals, but it still shows up in 99% of humans tested today, shown by a study from the CDC. (Kristin S. Shafer, Margaret Reeves, et al.) An alternative to eating food with chemical residue on it is eating organic food that isnt grown with the use of synthetic chemicals. GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS Another controversial topic discussed today is the growth of genetically modified organisms on many large farms. Growing these foods allows more people to be fed around the world and helps prevent hunger in so many areas that normally may not have access to good amounts of food. Many of these foods are able to withstand temperatures and conditions that normal food would not be able to survive in. Allowing the crop to be grown at times of the year they would not normally be able to grow in and allowing much more of the crop to be harvested. These are huge benefits for the farmers and for the hungry alike, farmers have more to sell and people dont starve due to lack of the food. So why is this an issue with people? Why would some not think of it as a good idea to grow these GMOs? It is due to many people feeling that they are not as safe as the natural versions of the same food are, many arent convinced that enough safety tests have been done to show they are safe for human consumption on a regular basis. GMOs are created through merging DNA from different species, to create a plant or other organism that cannot occur in nature. I dont think we should eat GMOs instead of the natural alternative. Many studies on GMO crops show that they are not substantially equivalent to the non-GMO counterparts from which they are derived.(Antoniou, Robinson, Fagan) There are often significant differences in the levels of certain nutrients and types of proteins, as well as unexpected toxins and allergens.(Antoniou, Robinson, Fagan) MY UNDERSTANDING My understanding of the issues is pesticides are great for keeping crops from being destroyed, and to keep rodents from overpopulating. But they, along with herbicides can be very dangerous if not

used properly, and can accumulate in our water supply to be consumed by humans. Pesticides also leave a residue on our food, and when we consume it can build up a toxic load in our bodies and we all have a unique way of handling these build ups, some peoples bodies deal with it differently than others. And workers that have to spray these chemicals can work under potentially very hazardous conditions if exposed to too much herbicide or pesticide. GMOs are great for growing a large amount of crops in tough conditions, but the crops that are made are not the same quality as the natural crop would be, even having some toxins and allergens that wouldnt accompany the natural version of the crop. POINT BY POINT AND MY POSITION Pesticides are not safe to use on food - I feel this is limited by the research done, I dont feel there is enough to completely back it up. Even though it is a poisonous substance I feel more proof is needed for long term consumption of food containing the residue. Pesticides and herbicides cause health problems in workers who spray it I think this is potentially limited by the chemicals used, maybe not all would cause disease, but the ones I researched were shown to increase risk of death from disease.

Organic Produce. N.d. Photograph. Payless Images. Phoenix New times. Phoenix New Times, LLC, 2014. Web. 18 Feb. 2014. <http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/bella/ 2012/09/organic_food_nonorganic_health_benefits_phoenix_chefs.ph p>.

Pesticides and herbicides in the water supply harm us There is no doubt that these poisonous chemicals can get in our water supply, but the long term harm hasnt been show. GMOs are not good to consume It has been shown that GMOs have different nutritional properties and such than the natural versions of them, but whether they are good or not to consume will probably

depend on if the person is very hungry and if food is in short supply. Safety tests arent conclusive on if GMOs pose a risk when eaten, so it is up to everyone to decide for themselves. My position on using chemicals in agriculture is that there are too much potentially harmful effects of their use to not be concerned, their poisonous nature makes it tough to ignore. And the fact that workers who spray them are at risk for possible short term and long term problems is a concern to me. GMOs could be a potential risk as well because of some toxins and allergens found unexpectedly during tests of the plants, also because the nutritional value is not the same as the natural plant. While it is not known for sure if these chemicals and GMOs will contribute to long term problems when consumed through diet because of too little research done, we can still be aware that pesticides and herbicides are poisonous and GMOs can contain toxins. So I am on the side of not using these harsh chemicals and GMOs in agriculture. CONCLUSION We all have to choose what we eat and why, I think that it can be difficult to make changes, especially when money is concerned. I think the problem is that there isnt a great alternative to the cheap, processed food, and non-organic veggies and fruit. Farmers changing the way they grow food can be costly, and as a result, the groceries we wish to purchase can be costly as well. I think many of us will choose to purchase food grown using these chemicals, but I dont believe there has been enough done to prove to us these chemicals are safe, so I believe it is up to all of us individually to demand more high quality, long term research done on the topics of GMO safety and chemical safety. We will also need to make our choice on whether we buy fruits and veggies that were grown using synthetic chemicals, and whether we buy GMO versions of food.

Works Cited Geological Survey (U.S.). Pesticides in Streams in Central Nebraska.[Reston Va]: U.S. dept. of the interior. 1995. U.S. Geological Survey. Kogevinas Manolis, Heiko Becher, et al. Cancer Mortality in Workers Exposed to Phenoxy Herbicides, Chlorophenols, and Dioxins. 145.1997. Print. Kristin S. Shafer, Margaret Reeves, et al. Chemical Trespass: Pesticides in our bodies and corporate accountibility. 05/2004. Print. Michael Antoniou, Claire Robinson, John Fagan. GMO Myths and Truths: An evidence-based examination of the claims made for safety and efficacy of genetically modified crops. 06/2012.print. Pesticides: What are pesticides? United States. Federal Security Administration. National institute of health. 1967. Reference. Pesticide Action Network. Your health. Food. Web.<http://www.panna.org/your-health/food>