In response to Dwight Bentham’s letter urging readers to cut back on meat and dairy, we need a more honest and nuanced conversation about how food choices affect the planet.
Not all animal agriculture is created equal.
At Wormuth Farm in Wantage, our lambs graze exclusively on pasture, while our pigs and chickens are supplemented with grains grown and milled locally.
All of our animals forage and fertilize the land, supporting biodiversity and soil health.
Unlike industrial livestock operations, pasture-based farms can sequester carbon - up to 1 to 3 metric tons per hectare annually, according to Project Drawdown.
It’s unfair to equate regenerative farms with high-emission factory farms. And here in Sussex County, family dairy farms have cared for the land for generations - they deserve recognition, not blame.
Instead of replacing food traditions with ultra-processed meat alternatives, we should ask: how was this food produced? Who raised it, and how did it impact the land?
The climate conversation needs more nuance. Pasture-based farmers are part of the solution.
Mike Dunn
Wormuth Farm
Wantage