To Fight Global Warming, Eat Less Corn and More Flaxseed…If You’re a Cow
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Cows could become a greater threat to global warming than cars or SUVs, scientists insist, which has prompted farmers in the U.S. and Europe to experiment with the diets of bovines. At issue is the tremendous amount of methane gas that cows expel as a result of digesting feed heavy on corn or soy, causing the average cow to produce “eruptions” (burps and flatulence) that total 200 to 400 pounds of methane each year. With the global production of dairy and beef expected to double in the next 30 years, adding millions more cattle, the expelling of methane by cows is now a serious concern, because methane has 20 times the heat-trapping ability of carbon dioxide.
Fortunately, there seems to be answer that’s not only good for the planet but cows as well. Farmers in Vermont and France have begun feeding their herds grain feed high in alfalfa and flaxseed, which don’t cause cows to be as gassy as corn or soy. One Vermont farmer, Guy Choiniere, has reported an 18% drop in his cows’ methane output, while enjoying the same level of milk production. In addition to noticing his cows’ breath is “sweeter,” Choiniere said they’re healthier and their coats shinier.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Greening the Herds: A New Diet to Cap Gas (by Leslie Kaufman, New York Times)
- Top Stories
- Unusual News
- Where is the Money Going?
- Controversies
- U.S. and the World
- Appointments and Resignations
- Latest News
- Americans are Unhappy with the Direction of the Country…What’s New?
- Can Biden Murder Trump and Get Away With it?
- Electoral Advice for the Democratic and Republican Parties
- U.S. Ambassador to Greece: Who is George Tsunis?
- Henry Kissinger: A Pre-Obituary
Comments