Cows Fed Seaweed Contribute Less Methane Emissions to Atmosphere

>A 2014 study by Canadian researchers Rob Kinley and Alan Fredeen confirmed the results of Dorgan’s experiment and found, in addition, that “feeding seaweeds and macroalgal products has been shown to reduce enteric methane emission from rumen fermentation.” In short, seaweed can reduce the amount of methane cows emit into the atmosphere with their gas. Kinley joined De Nys in Australia two years later to conduct further in vitro tests.

>Kinley and De Nys tested 20 different species of seaweed on bacteria found in the stomachs of cows. They discovered seaweed reduced methane production by up to 50 percent, depending on the amount administered. But methane reduction at notable levels required high doses of seaweed, almost 20 percent by weight of the sample. This large percentage of seaweed would be difficult to implement outside of the lab and would likely have a negative effect on cow’s digestion.

>When the researchers tested a species of red algae called Asparagopsis taxiformis that grows off the coast of Queensland, Australia, they found it reduced methane production by more than 99 percent in the lab. In addition, it only required a dose of less than 2 percent to work effectively. Upon digestion, Asparagopsis produces a compound called Bromoform (CHBR3), which interacts with enzymes in ruminant stomachs and halts the cycle of methane production before the gas is released into the atmosphere.

>In 2011, Dorgan sold his dairy farm in order to start selling seaweed-infused cow feed full-time. The company he part-owns, North Atlantic Organics, uses traditional methods of seaweed production like hand-raking and solar drying to reduce its carbon footprint and ensure the final product is free of additives.

>However, researchers and farmers will have to overcome considerable roadblocks before the technique can be implemented on an industrial scale. Most dairy and cattle operations are located inland, far from the sea and its supply of seaweed. More importantly, producing enough Asparagopsis to feed even 10 percent of Australia’s feedlot and dairy cattle would require upwards of 15,000 acres of commercial seaweed farms. Wild harvesting could work on a farm-by-farm basis, but the practice becomes unfeasible on a large scale.

>“That is the number one barrier—getting enough seaweed to feed to millions of cows,” Kinley said in an interview with Australia’s ABC news.

>tfw you will never get paid to do something as useless as study how much methane a cow shits out when it eats seaweed

>>164083
>tfw your research over cow farts may revolutionize the entire cattle industry, reduce one of the largest polluters on the planet, and make you a billionaire.

>>164073
I've seen this a couple times before. It's nice, but we'll still have to massively reduce the number of cattle if we switch over to seaweed feed (or seafeed) just because 1) it's not as nutritious, and 2) it can't be grown on nearly the scale common feeds are grown on now, at least not without extremely expensive setup on the part of the farmer. The first problem can be mitigated but not solved by selective breeding and maybe genetic engineering, but there's no way around the second.

Not that less beef on the market is a bad thing, mind you.

>>164073
Vegans are on suicide watch.

>>164143
I've seen a similar trial at my old university where they were growing a type of saltbush in paddocks for cows to eat. Apparently it reduced the cows emissions by ~80%. Obviously it's not as effective as the seafeed, but given that it was easy to grow and the cows loved eating it, it seems like a more practical solution.

>>164156
Carnists are on heart disease, diabetes (etc) watch

>>164073
how do they taste though?

>>164164
>Carnist
not sure what one of those is; I think you mean "normal people"

>>164143
Did you actually READ the article? How nutritious it is hardly matters if it makes up 2% of the feed.

>>164073
Another communist lie.

Global warming isn't an issue; communism is.

>>164204
Look, I'm Right leaning on all accounts and even shitpost on /pol/ pretty frequently, but global climate change is occurring

>>164174
Only 2% of the diet would be seaweed. Would taste the same anyway.

>>164073
We could reduce methane emissions from cows to zero if we stopped farming cows.

Just saying.

>>164073
Damn. This is a big discovery. Hopefully it will become mandatory for this to be mixed into all cows feed.

>>164452
Pretty sure cows still fart even if they are wild

>>164452
Yeah or maybe the government could stop subsidized corn and the beef industry could feed them, oh idk, grass? Instead of corn schlop?

yea but cows can produce like everything on earth