That’s not a huge surprise, given that I spend much of my time working with ranchers and other meat producers.

For those unaware, Meatless Monday is just what its name implies: encouraging people to avoid meat each Monday. The Pope had nothing to do with this one. This was a campaign that was launched a few years back based on the assumption that cattle and other livestock are bad for the environment, and that meat is bad for our health,  so cutting out meat at least once a week could help reduce that damage.

I was talking to a friend the other day and he shared my concern. He had a better way of thinking about it, though. “Dave, it’s simple. Eating less of a bad thing still means that we are eating a bad thing. Why not encourage people to eat more of the good kind of meat, and let them decide how much—and when—they want to eat it?”

I couldn’t agree more. I’ve blogged several times on the fact that livestock raised right are not only good for the environment, but are actually a critical component in maintaining a healthy ecosystem that can help us reduce global warming. And, the meat from those animals supplies healthy protein that our bodies require.

That’s why many ranchers today refer to themselves as grass farmers. They are managing their herds of cattle or bison, or their flocks of sheep to maintain healthy pastures and rangelands lush with grasses and other plants that help remove carbon from the atmosphere. And besides, the meat from those animals is pretty darned delicious.

That’s something I’ll enjoy, any day of the week.