TEST TIDBITS: WHY ARE CLIMATE SCIENTIESTS INTERESTED IN COW BELCHES?
Animal that are called ruminants such as cows, sheep, goats, buffalos, etc., graze on grasses which enter one part of the stomach which begins the digestion process. Then, the contents are brought forward and chewed and swallowed again. This process is accompanied by lots of belches and farts. Climate scientists are concerned with these gassy emissions because they are methane. Methane is about 30 times more potent as a greenhouse gas as carbon dioxide but does not stay in the atmosphere as long. (Carbon dioxide can last 100’s of years in the atmosphere—methane lasts about 10 years in the atmosphere). Since there are about 1.4 billion cattle, 1.9 billion sheep and goats, and millions of other ruminants in the world, and each cow can produce 26 to 55 gallons of methane a day, these emissions are adding to the overall threat of global warming. Is there anything to be done to reduce this problem? The answer is yes (sort of), but there are conflicting side issues.
One of the intriguing possibilities is that by adding a specific species of seaweed to the feed for these animals, burps and farts are greatly diminished. By the way, burps account for 90% of the methane released—with the remaining 10% from the farts. Scientists in Australia found that by adding seaweed to feed, dairy cows increased milk production and lessened belches and farts. Scientist in the U s at the University of California found the Asparagopsis Taxiformis red algae performed the best—reducing belches of methane by 99% in the lab and 80-90 % in the field. The problem remains of bringing the seaweed supplement up to scale to curb total methane emissions. Other scientists are studying a range of supplements including garlic and fish oil. Others are studying the wider supply system of pasture raised cattle as opposed to factory farm cattle. In the natural pasture system, cattle remain on the land until slaughtered. In the factory farm system, cattle remain on the pasture until about 6-9 months, transferred to feed-lots and fed grain until they are about 18 mos. when slaughtered. They gain weight quickly because of the grain and the inability to move much. They are also fed antibiotics because of liver issues and being in close quarter. However, while there on the factory farm, their belches produce less methane than that from pastured cows. Comparing methane burps is just part of the complete picture of the over-all environmental impact of the different farm systems. Also, worth considering is the amount of pollution from growing the grain and harvesting it to feed the cows and water issues due to run-off from manure piles and the heath issue of antibiotic overuse—which can lead to resistant strains of bacteria.
For the environmentally concerned citizen, eating less beef is best thing you can do right now. The seaweed supplement might be able to reduce methane burps, but it will take time to scale up. Future articles will be about the new plant- based “meat:.
EARTH STEWARD ACTION: consider beginning a “meatless Monday” practice at your house. Make eating beef a luxury and go for pasture raised products.
SOURCES: The book, DRAWDOWN, edited by John Hawken, pages 204-305,(see www.drawdown.org) , https://www.universityofcalifornis.edu/news/usurp-how-seaweed-can-help--curb-cow-burps , https://wwwnpr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/08/13/746576239/is-grass-fed-beef-really-better-for-the-planet, https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/techonolgy/putting-cows-on-a-seaweed-diet-helps-curb-their-methane-farts