So... how did he measure it?
And did he have to measure the flatulence too?
Cattle-burp eco menace mastered - by oregano
A bovo-boffin in Pennsylvania says he has saved life on planet Earth from being gradually stifled into extinction by burgeoning clouds of cattle-belch methane. The solution is apparently to feed cows oregano. "Cattle are actually a major producer of methane gas and methane is a significant greenhouse gas," says Alexander Hristov …
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But Inquiring Minds want to know ...
does the meat taste better with the internal seasoning?
Wow
I hope its mass producable.
Then the veggies can shut up about cow burps/farts.
Cow burps aren't as bad as thought
The figures for meat production and greenhouse gasses are being challenged, resulting in this interesting (and ballsy) climbdown from no less than George Monbiot this week.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/sep/06/meat-production-veganism-deforestation
If meat eaters damage the environment...
...can we make up for it by all eating one or two vegetarians each, as a sort of carbon offset?
OREGano or oreGANO
is it OREgano (US pronunciation) or oreGANO? If its the former, I'd rather die on a desertificated planet that listen to endless talk of OREgano.
And anthropogenic methane from cows? Genetic engineering has a lot to answer for!
Obviously
The Americans decided to stick with the original Italian pronunciation while the Brits decided to go their own eccentric way.
Obviously...
The Americans favour the original Italian pronunciation. The Brits decided to go their own eccentric way.
And don't forget "erbs"
<rant>
It's *H*erbs! I don't care some Americans might confuse a herb with a bloke called Herb. If they can't work from the context if I'm talking about a plant and not a person then they deserve to be confused.
</rant>
Will this work on my wife? I think she comes in just behind cows in the contribution of Methane to the environment.
Presumably, if the cows produce more milk we can have less of them and therefore reduce deforestation somewhat as well?
Me
I'm a bloke named Herb. And I like oregano, especially the Italian pronunciation!
Less cattle?
"Presumably, if the cows produce more milk we can have less of them and therefore reduce deforestation somewhat as well?"
Negative. SInce there is less "Natural Emissions" or "Dairy Air" from each bovine, this would mean we can have more tasty beef for a given amount of methane, as well as more milk to enjoy. As for deforestation, that doesn't necessarily pan out because there is plenty of prairie and pasture land to support cattle, so why bother moving cattle to the forest in the first place?
All is explained
So now we know how the dinosaurs died -- not enough oregano in their diet.
is it
actually reducing methane production, or is it just stopping the cows belching it out.
I for one, am looking forward to the exploding cow news stories...
Herby belch-squelch technology?
Bovo-Boffin?
Quality journalism. Keep it up, that man!
Johnny Fartpants
When I use oregano, it cerainly makes my farts more powerful.
Epazote
Mexican food uses a herb called epazote which is supposed to reduce flatulence. I wonder if they are related...
interesting
What are the implications for the cheese used in pizza manufacture? (Or "cheese food" for frozen pizzas.)
Nice one
And there's the added bonus that the milk tastes of pizza...
Bravo
Good to know someone has finally made progress on bovine fuel efficiency. Now we Yanks are able to get many more gallons per feed when we drive our cattle, and can stay with the bigger Humvee sized heifers rather than the mini sized ones.
Should treat the cause, not the symptom
The clue is in the text "cattle feed". Cows are supposed to eat grass, not expensive and wasteful to grow grain which is what US farmers give their cattle. They'd do better eating their natural food instead (and yes, that includes growing better). Stupid. I take it this guy's patenting the idea to sell even more expensive cattle feed paid for by govt subsidies?
commercial product potential!
need some of this slipped into the cafeteria for some of my co-workers. Especially if the extract is tasteless-like many of my co-workers, and odorless, unlike many of the same.
Milkers
It's about time someone developed self-milking cows. Think of the savings!
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