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What does food really cost - and how can we make it more accessible?

written by

Michelle Sroka

posted on

August 20, 2021

How do you determine the cost of your food?

I imagine that most of us think about cost in monetary terms. Even after four years of farming, I'll admit that I often default to that perspective, as well. I want to be frugal and economical when I'm shopping; I want to make sure that I feel comfortable with the amount of money I'm willing to spend.

Yet, as the latest IPCC report on climate change reminds us, the "cost" of food extends beyond the monetary values we've assigned to it. The way that food is grown, managed, and harvested has an impact upon communities, people, and animals within that place, but also far beyond it.

As a farmer growing pasture-raised food, it can often feel difficult to talk about our cost. The cost of our food is obviously noticeably different than what you'll find at the supermarket. It requires different budgeting, and perhaps, changes to our lifestyles to accommodate this.

I'm well-versed in talking about why this is. Our cost is different because we raise our food differently. Our animals are treated humanely. Feed, when given to poultry and hogs, is bought locally from a small farmer. Animals live on pasture, receiving more attention and requiring more time to grow.

Yet cost is still an uncomfortable topic. I know why our food costs what it does - but what do I do about those who cannot afford it? How do you balance monetary value with social justice and equity?

I'd like to pose this question to you. How do you think about the cost of food? How do you envision making high-quality food more accessible for people with limited budgets?

One small way we've tried to answer this on our farm is by leaning into our Catholic Worker roots, and begging for donations.

Every other week, we set aside a portion of our eggs for donation to our local food pantry. Generous donors who are willing to buy these eggs at a wholesale price allow those who shop at these food pantries to buy products that are more nutritionally dense and humanely raised than anything they can find at a grocery store.

That's one little way we're trying to impact our community for the better. What are other ways we can do this? I'd love to hear your ideas.

More from the blog

Can we care about animals - and still raise them for food?

Can we care about animals - and still raise them for food?

I probably spend the most time with the pigs on our farm. Part of this is practical: since pigs can’t sweat, we spray them down twice a day to help them wallow in the mud and stay cool.  But part of it is emotional, too. I enjoy being around the pigs. When there’s a lot on my mind, or I’ve spent too much time on the computer and need to get outside, wandering over to that week’s pig paddock is one of the ways I can clear my mind.  Pigs are highly emotive and responsive. When I spray them down with the hose, they like to sit back on their haunches, prick back their ears, and snap playfully at the water as it showers down on them. And then joyfully roll around in the mud afterward, of course.  But they’re responsive to humans in general, too. They are naturally curious and, in the case of our heritage breed Red Wattles, gentle. They’ll come up and sniff you, rub their mud-streaked bellies over you, and let you scratch their ears.  And maybe this is the part where you start to wonder: But aren’t you raising them for food?  Why would you want an emotional connection to an animal that you are raising for food?  I understand where this question is coming from. I was a vegetarian for nearly a decade because I didn’t like the thought of killing animals, especially within the framework of our industrial food system.  But actually, it isn’t a problem or moral quandary for me. Yes, we grow fond of and attached to our animals, including our pigs.  Yes, we still send them to the butcher or process them on our farm for food. And yes, this still makes sense to me.  I would gently suggest that the idea that we shouldn’t have any emotional connection to our food - that we can only eat meat that comes from animals we withhold our emotions or affection from - is a sign of our disconnection to the way food is grown.  That is, after all, one of the premises of industrial agriculture. Designate animals with one sole purpose - “becoming food” - and then shut them away in buildings, cramped quarters, or far away from humans who might interact with them beyond the farmer.  And the farmer, too, should be as disconnected as possible. After all, this is an efficient machine.  The problem, from a regenerative perspective, is that growing food is never just about growing food. Food is the gift you receive at the end of your work, but it’s the work itself - and the consequences of the work beyond the food - that is the point.  The work, on our farm, is caring for the land. That means working alongside animals to nurture native plants, clear forest areas to make existing trees healthier, and create habitats for birds, pollinators, and wildlife.  And that means becoming attentive and thoughtful - to animals and to the land. Watching, learning, and yes, developing bonds with the habitats you’re nurturing and the animals that are helping you do so.  Is it sad to load up animals and take them to the butcher at the end of the season? Yes, it often can be. But I don’t feel guilty about it. I know that we’ve given them the best life possible, and that we’ve partnered with them to leave our farm better than we found it each year.  And if that doesn’t make sense, that’s okay. I’m not saying that everyone has to agree with me. I’d simply like to advocate for a way of farming and consuming meat that includes this experience - one of affection and bonding between animals and humans.  After all, this is one of the many ways we try to do things differently on our farm. We don’t want to just provide you with food that meets your standards - non-GMO, no vaccines, no antibiotics, grass-fed and pasture-raised.  We also want to help you reconnect with that food. And part of that is knowing the animals, hearing stories about them, and yes, maybe even having an emotional connection with them, despite the end goal of providing meat to you.

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