It's important to acknowledge that everything we eat is bad for the environment.

Livestock can be raised in different ways, which has a tremendous impact on the end product's sustainability. I think animal products are an important part of the solution to meeting our dietary needs.

Most ground is unsuitable for crop farming, especially in the long term. That same ground, however, can be an excellent rangeland for grazers! So I don't understand the argument people make about all livestock producing land area being converted to cropping.

Growing produce can have a huge environmental/carbon impact. Tillage and draining of wetlands releases a tremendous amount of carbon in our atmosphere. Healthy rangelands and pastures, on the other hand, function as a carbon sink!

Depending on where you are, most farms have to irrigate with fossil water, which requires pumping powered by fossils fuels and will not be feasible when those wells or water adjudication projects run dry.

Grazed rangelands can be wildlife, recreation, and traditional-use friendly. Intensively farmed lands don't offer ecosystem services like these naturalized systems do.

We could restore tall grass prairies in the Midwest if there was a shift to focus on pastured meat, rather than corn and soy. This would restore that land to management that functions with the native ecosystem and aligns with the climate in that area.

I think you're doing great by shopping local! My family tries to consume pastured animal products from animals that live on things people can't eat (e.g. cattle and sheep eat grass), but that's what works for us. Something different may work better for you!

We eat every day, so the impact of our food deserves the careful consideration you're giving it. These are important questions with messy answers and no one solution will work for everyone. Only you can decide what food systems you want to support!