Brandt Beef, with its aura of prized virtues — sustainably-raised steers on a family-owned ranch, corn-and-alfalfa-based diet, antibiotic free, no growth hormones — proposes to reduce its carbon footprint by shipping meat from its California ranch to the east coast by train instead of truck. The first shipment arriving Monday by diesel locomotive includes whole sides for Dean & DeLuca, its newest retail outlet, and cuts CO2 emissions by two-thirds over trucking — reducing the carbon footprint by 80 percent. And it may prove cheaper as well as greener.

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