Thanks again for your comments!

It is true that many food crops for humans are shipped in from overseas. However, consider that each acre maintained for grazing is one less acre on which crops for humans (soybeans or otherwise) can be grown–thus more pressure to ship the latter in from overseas, due to economics of land availability.

It is also true that grass-fed farming is in some ways a step up from common “factory farming” methods. However, implying that it’s actually more environmentally friendly than a vegetarian or vegan diet doesn’t account for the following: Any animal burns much of the energy it consumes through its metabolic processes–only a portion of this energy goes into the flesh or other body parts that many people consume. Thus, assuming other factors like shipping distance are equal, it is more efficient–i.e., consumes fewer natural resources–for a human to eat plants directly, rather than obtaining the plant energy indirectly via eating another animal.

Finally, stating that “cows take the fall” suggests that cows themselves are somehow being victimized by individuals who wish to decrease farming and slaughtering of cows–I find it a bit difficult to accept that.

Thanks for taking on a challenging topic!