Avery started at Kansas State University this fall, studying Animal Science on the Pre-Veterinary Path with an emphasis in equine. Over the summer, she was a lifeguard and helps the PSF on various projects. She has always had a love for nature and astronomy.
Eight billion. This isn’t just a random number, statistic, or piece of data. This is the amount of people on earth, each person requiring a minimum of three meals a day, and enough nutrients in each meal to keep them healthy and strong. Without farming, feeding eight billion people would be absolutely impossible, and it is estimated that one farmer feeds one hundred and fifty five people.
Therefore, if you ate today, don’t be afraid to silently thank a farmer for what’s on your plate. However, just like with anything else, there are downsides to some of the best things in life. In my short time here at Kansas State University, my intrigue has grown in abundance for this topic. I believe that knowing the effects of traditional farming on the environment, and also how corrective farming can reverse those effects, is essential in paving the path to a cooler climate.
As an animal science major, part of my studies involve taking a deeper dive into how animal systems work, especially livestock, and what role these animal industries play in the world. During the second week of classes, we were introduced to how cattle emissions affect the environment. Cattle break down carbohydrates much differently than other species, due to the fact that they have four compartments in their stomachs. One of the main compartments is the rumen, which stores partly digested food and ferments it. As the food sits in the rumen, the greenhouse gas known as methane is produced, and then belched back up into the atmosphere. Cattle farmers and cattle in general have received lots of criticism for the role they play in emitting methane. However, new research proves that cattle can actually play an important role in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. You’re probably thinking “That makes no sense Avery, you just said cows were the ones putting methane into the environment!”
Yes, yes I did, but when farming is done right, it is a huge help in climate change.
First off, methane is a short-lived climate pollutant that stays in the atmosphere for about ten years, while carbon dioxide (produced from fossil fuels and other human pollutants) stays in the atmosphere for about one thousand years. Therefore, methane isn’t causing warming, or building up, as significantly as carbon dioxide. Secondly, methane from cattle is part of the biogenic carbon cycle, while fossil fuels aren’t. If we were to keep our herd size constant, the amount of methane produced by the livestock and destroyed, would balance each other out.
Additionally, methane from cattle is considered a “flow gas”, so as it is emitted, it is being destroyed. Carbon dioxide from fossil fuels are “stock gasses”, compiling in the atmosphere without the potential to break down. With the help of digesters and feed additives in the diets of cattle, we can generate short term cooling. If you reduce methane from cattle, you are “pulling” carbon out of the atmosphere, inducing global cooling.
The University of California Davis has been a pioneer when it comes to this topic, and have reduced methane emissions in their herd by 25% using this method. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions with cattle can be done and has been done. Farming is essential and isn’t going anywhere. Instead of blaming farmers and livestock for climate change, let's support them in practicing environmentally sustainable efforts! ♦
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