Lower your carbon footprint with factory farming?

Any casual environmentalist would tell you that local food is more sustainable than factory farmed food shipped from across the country.  And it makes sense - there's nothing eco-friendly about a soot-belching diesel semi blazing across the interstates of America.  

But is eating locally actually a less efficient and therefore more energy intensive activity than eating those delicious Chilean grapes in December?  

Art Carden of the austro-liberatrian Mises Institute thinks that is the case.  While Carden admits there are many reasons to eat locally, getting the lowest possible carbon footprint is not one of them.  He suggests that a more effective step in reducing ones carbon footprint would be to simply reduce consumption of meat and replace it with vegetables.  I couldn't agree more, Art.