This is a series about the cost of our food. Not just the dollar amount of a steak, but all the other costs along the way — to the land, to the environment, to the workers, to the farm families, to a person’s mental health — and how these costs are calculated, how they add up and multiply and divide into the complicated equation that is our modern food system.
The Whole Series
Pocketbooks and populations: Food access is about more than grocery stores
Food access is a multifaceted issue. It’s a matter of having stores, having money to afford a healthy diet, having transportation and having time. Food deserts can be found in urban areas, like Youngstown, Ohio, and rural areas, like Vinton County.
Can pastured livestock ever go mainstream?
A new study looked at 10 Pennsylvania farms to find out what it would take to scale up pastured livestock production.
Farmers markets re-enter the spotlight
During the COVID-19 pandemic, farmers markets have had a sudden influx of new customers, many seeking stability in local food systems. While they are part of our history, many believe farmers markets are also part of our future.
Two paths: from calf to dinner plate
We take a look at how two farmers raise beef cattle, making very difference decisions, using different resources, to create the same end product.
Dollars and sense: the cost of our food
There's no such thing as a free lunch. Reporter Rachel Wagoner introduces a new series exploring what it costs to get food to the table.
