Claim: Grass represents different things to different people and things and it is the source of almost everything.
Grounds: In 1984, Allan Nation heard sheep ranchers refer themselves as grass farmers. The simplest way to capture the suns energy in a form food animals can use is by growing grass. People see grass as background.
Warrant: If everything on the farm eats grass or uses it as a means to develop, then grass is the true source of everything and it should be appreciated and taken care of.
Backing: “Grass farmers grow animals –for meat, eggs, milk, and wool – but regard them as part of a food chain in which grass is the keystone species, the nexus between the solar energy that powers every food chain and the animals we eat.” “The animals come and go, but the grasses, which directly or indirectly feed all animals, abide, and the well-being of the farm depends more than anything else on the well-being of its grass.”
Qualifier: Grass is the base of the farm. The animals eat it, the crops need it to grow, and the farmers need it to survive. A fresh pasture is the start of a farm. Grass is used to harness the sun’s energy, which in turn gets eaten by the animals.
Rebuttal: Grass is not actually profitable and does not sell in today’s market. By putting so much time and effort into it, the farmers might be hurting themselves.
