I challenge anyone to watch the documentary Food, Inc. and not be influenced to make at least a few changes in the way you eat. More than likely, you’ll change a lot. You’ll look at that half-pound chicken breast and wonder if the chicken was still able to walk, supporting its unnatural weight. You’ll wonder what dose of antibiotics you’re receiving in that burger you just ate. Most importantly, you’ll wonder if cheap food really is the blessing we all assume it to be, when you take into account the hidden costs associated with eating it.

And you may even go off the deep end, like we have, and buy your own cow. Actually, it’s only half of a cow, and it’s in our freezer. But it was raised eating grass on a Missouri pasture not too far from here, it was slaughtered on June 4, dry-aged, vacuum-wrapped, frozen, and delivered to our door today. We figure it will last us about a year and it cost less than five dollars a pound.

Without wading into the debate about so-called “happy meat” and whether it even exists, I’ll just say that the fact that grass-fed beef is healthier for you than grain-fed beef is enough by itself to justifiy the decision. And I believe this method of raising livestock is more sustainable, so there are environmental benefits as well. It may end up costing us more in the long run, but maybe that’s what beef is supposed to cost?