Now if they could only provide a solution for Mannian emissions, they’d really have something. It does seem better though than the Bovine Fish Oil Methane Cure and certainly less ridiculous than Climate idiocy at the Monterey Bay Aquarium – cow with a gas mask.
From Penn State press: Unusual feed supplement could ease greenhouse gassy cows
University Park, Pa. — Cow belches, a major source of greenhouse gases, could be decreased by an unusual feed supplement developed by a Penn State dairy scientist.
In a series of laboratory experiments and a live animal test, an oregano-based supplement not only decreased methane emissions in dairy cows by 40 percent, but also improved milk production, according to Alexander Hristov, an associate professor of dairy nutrition.
The natural methane-reduction supplement could lead to a cleaner environment and more productive dairy operations.
“Cattle are actually a major producer of methane gas and methane is a significant greenhouse gas,” Hristov said. “In fact, worldwide, livestock emits 37 percent of anthropogenic methane.”
Anthropegenic methane is methane produced by human activities, such as agriculture.
Compared to carbon dioxide, methane has 23 times the potential to create global warming, Hristov said. The Environmental Protection Agency bases the global warming potential of methane on the gas’s absorption of infrared radiation, the spectral location of its absorbing wavelengths and the length of time methane remains in the atmosphere.
Methane production is a natural part of the digestive process of cows and other ruminants, such as bison, sheep and goats. When the cow digests food, bacteria in the rumen, the largest of the four-chambered stomach, break the material down intro nutrients in a fermentation process. Two of the byproducts of this fermentation are carbon dioxide and methane.
“Any cut in the methane emissions would be beneficial,” Hristov said.
Experiments revealed another benefit of the gas-reducing supplement. It increased daily milk production by nearly three pounds of milk for each cow during the trials. The researcher anticipated the higher milk productivity from the herd.
“Since methane production is an energy loss for the animal, this isn’t really a surprise,” Hristov said. “If you decrease energy loss, the cows can use that energy for other processes, such as making milk.”
Hristov said that finding a natural solution for methane reduction in cattle has taken him approximately six years. Natural methane reduction measures are preferable to current treatments, such as feed antibiotics.
Hristov first screened hundreds of essential oils, plants and various compounds in the laboratory before arriving at oregano as a possible solution. During the experiments, oregano consistently reduced methane without demonstrating any negative effects.
Following the laboratory experiments, Hristov conducted an experiment to study the effects of oregano on lactating cows at Penn State’s dairy barns. He is currently conducting follow-up animal trials to verify the early findings and to further isolate specific compounds involved in the suppression of methane.
Hristov said that some compounds that are found in oregano, including carvacrol, geraniol and thymol, seem to play a more significant role in methane suppression. Identifying the active compounds is important because pure compounds are easier to produce commercially and more economical for farmers to use.
“If the follow-up trials are successful, we will keep trying to identify the active compounds in oregano to produce purer products,” said Hristov.
Hristov has filed a provisional patent for this work.
<iLYuba Yollabolly says:
September 7, 2010 at 6:59 pm
Current estimated number of cows:
96,669,000 cows in US
13,945,000 cows in Cannada
That’s more than twice as many cows (now) than there ever were bison in their home range of Cannada and the US.
And the white-tailed deer population in the US alone is estimated at 30 million. I’m reasonably sure that number would have been higher during the paleolithic.
Oh, and there’s only one “n” in Canada. 🙂
Popular Facts About Methane, Youthane and Theythane –
Compared to bison, etc., people are pikers.
People who do not eat meat tend to methane the atmosphere more than those who do.
Etamilcologists methane more than Meteorologists.
Smokers methane less tha Non-Smokers.
Dinosaurs methaned more than bison.
The Great Impact that killed the Dinosaurs also burned a lot of methane.
Broccoli eaters methane more than noodle eaters.
Bean eaters methane more than broccoli eaters.
Beer drinkers methane more than wine drinkers.
Birth control reduces methane.
Castration reduces methane.
Coronal Mass Ejections directed at the Earth, if strong enough, can reduce methane.
While people are not the only methane producers, they are the most at fault in an elevator.
Pennsylvania, since the arrival of Dr. Mann, produces more methane than Virginia.
Conclusion: It should be recommended CH4 should be turn into CH3OH (methanol) and flavor it with Kool-Aid to prepare a gentle beverage which will enable global warmers to levitate to the next plane of existence. 🙂
andyscrase says:
September 7, 2010 at 5:41 pm
New Zealand is investing heavily in methane reduction of ruminants, and will include agricultural methane emissions in the next phase of the ETS.
____________________________________________________________
Now you know why the World Trade Organization was so aggressive about governments mandating “Traceability” that is unique animal ID’s and farm ID’s world wide. (NAIS in the USA) I am sure once the USDA manages to force NAIS or its newest reincarnation down the throats of US farmers, despite the overwhelming (>90%) response against the idea, the next step is to implement a head tax on every animal in the world via “GHG reduction” laws.
And now you know why the bureaucRATS have not been worried about the 11 million ‘phantom’ cattle in the database that do not exist according to the Australian Beef Association. The actual Australian cattle population is 27 million but the database registrations are about 38 million. http://english.fleischwirtschaft.de/news/pages/protected/Australian-Livestock-with-huge-phantom-numbers_7675.html
Someone is going to get the tax bill for those 11 million cows and the government red tape (plus fee) to get rid of the phantoms will be so ridiculous that it is impossible to carry out correctly the first time. US farmers just went through that exercise trying to remove their farms from the NAIS Premises ID database. The USDA Opt-Out program just seems to put you into an “inactive file” but you do not necessarily get wiped from the data base. The data base was moved to Canada to avoid FOI requests. http://ppjg.wordpress.com/2009/03/02/rep-colin-peterson-for-us-or-against-us-is-he-is-or-is-he-aint/
MORE INFO: http://www.vicfa.net/user%20guidezan.pdf
it is an insult to people who actually work for a living that these get paid to sit around and come with this ridiculous cr*p
Estimates in some of these comments for bison population in the Great Plains in the 1800’s seem low. The estimate I have heard is as many as 60,000,000.
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WWplains.htm
Also:
http://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-buffalohunters.html
That number was also supplied by Parks Canada at Fort Walsh, Saskatchewan. These herds were decimated by “hunters” who shot the buffalo from “hunting trains” in the late 1800’s. Buffalo Bill Cody and others were initially contracted by the railroad to kill buffalo as a source of fresh meat for the railroad workers. This morphed into the popular past time of killing the buffalo from the trains. The animals had no fear of humans at that time so kills of hundreds of buffalo a day were plentiful and easy. But after the animals were skinned for the pelts the rest of the carcases were left to rot on the prairie.
It is estimated that 60 million were shot and the buffalo bones became an important source of phosphorous to make gun powder for WW 1.
This effectively also ended the Plains Indian way of life since they relied on the buffalo for everything.
Human intervention in nature is a recipe for disaster.
Identifying the active compounds is important because pure compounds are easier to produce commercially and more economical for farmers to use.
Oregano is one of the easiest plants in my herb garden. Seems like a farmer could easily plant this here and there in the pasture and let the cattle graze.
Oregano as a feed supplement for cattle to stop methane emissions?
During WWII meat stores sold beef from grass fed beef (no corn fattening). And people bought it because there were no ration points needed for it, not for the taste. Actaully the beef tasted like, well, grass. Also it was tough.
I can imagine oregano would have the same effect. Imagine, they could call it Italian beef and even charge extra for it.
Tommy says:
September 8, 2010 at 12:18 pm
Oregano is one of the easiest plants in my herb garden. Seems like a farmer could easily plant this here and there in the pasture and let the cattle graze.
If your herb garden is anything like mine, oregano is a problem! Spreads everywhere. I don’t think farmers need another herb weed. They have sage already ;~P
Didn’t we just have a HUGE egg recall? Did we or didn’t we? And what may be next – maybe a beef or CHICKEN recall – and you are against “Traceability” of animals?
No rationality, rhyme or reason.
I was hoping I would see something substantive by yourself regarding the possible benefits of oregano in ‘cow’ diets – no kidding, I actually scanned the thread looking for those comments …
.
StanWilli says:
September 8, 2010 at 11:36 am
Human intervention in nature is a recipe for disaster.
Please do not generalize..it’s rather a well known different ilk which share a common genetic code’s motivation: Making money without working at all.
The problem is not what farmers feed cows, but what schools feed students .
Social conservatives know children should eat what they are told—especially their vegetables, lest they end up as elitist Eastern RINO’s who refuse to eat their broccoli.
That’s why God-fearing parents have been fighting to assure Greens a place at the table ever since the founding fathers emerged from the root cellars of New England. The heirloom vegetables that sustain us at tea parties coast to coast continue the tradition President Reagan began by adding that ancient Native American staple, ketchup, to the school lunch vegetable list. Just as America’s economy depends on sustaining our fossil fuel supply, education demands the inclusion of fossil vegetables in school lunch programs.
Richer in fiber than corn flakes and higher in vital minerals and anti-bacterial phenols than milk, apples or Listerine, easily digested soft coals like lignite, abound in heritage greens like fiddleheads and ginkgo leaves. The explosion of healthy green algae in the Gulf of Mexico proves beyond a doubt that fossil fuels are too valuable and environmentally friendly a food source for educators to ignore. Beyond their obvious nutritional and cost benefits, these traditional vegetables leave warmists out in the cold by making the nations youth part of a bipartisan solution to the carbon sequestration problem. Thanks to liberal teacher’s unions, today’s pupils exhale over a pound of carbon dioxide a day, but if school lunch programs stop catering to illegal aliens with tacos, and replace liberal junk foods like tofu with crunchy conservative menus rich in culinary coal and peat , a new generation of carbon neutral students will win the hearts and minds of breadwinners from West Virginia to Wyoming.
“Yes, but how many millions of deer, pronghorns, bighorn sheep etc were there?”
You tell me. BTW there is considerable evidence that American (both north and south) indigenous peoples started fires to intentionally increase grasslands for hunting. The book “1491” is interesting reading, although admittedly some of their points are better supported than others.
“No, but before the indians/aborigines arrived there were countless millions of elephants, camelids, horses, giant sloths, giant kangaroos, giant vombats etc etc.”
The issue here is really ruminants (even Pamela understood that) so although what you say is more or less true you have to cross elephants, horses, giant sloths, giant kangaroos and the all so popular but mythical giant vombat off your list. Since I mentioned cattle from Argentina we could add llamas, alpacas and vacunas (the camelids you mentioned) to the discussion though. Since at least 2 of those 3 have been domesticated I wouldn’t be surprised to find that their numbers have also increased.
This is a tempest in a teapot as the concentration of methane is relatively steady and even slowly declining, meaning that its effect has been relatively constant. Furthermore, the slight decline may cancel out any effect that rising CO2 might have, making the whole question of “greenhouse” gases a wash and leaving water vapor in control of the climate.
Of course, we have to remember that methane is in parts per billion while CO2 is in parts per million. It is not as abundant by far, regardless of it being supposedly a superior “greenhouse” gas. AND, do not forget that methane has not been increasing and only appears to rise when a volcano burps. I guess next they will insist that we cork all volcanoes – there’s a job others can have.
We have to remember that there used be veritable hordes of grazing animals all across the continents, all creating methane. Methane by man has been decreasing as we have improved our handling and control methods. The projection that melting permafrost regions would release a burst of methane has proven false as the awakening biomass quickly becomes a carbon sink as it begins to actively metabolize; and it would appear that the projected melting is not happening.
Yuba, I have not found a single farmer who as actually cleared rangeland to turn it into…rangeland. I know I haven’t. We leave everything there: trees, rocks, brush, and wee little forest creatures.
Interesting story about rangeland. Wallowa County used to have big horns and mountain goats. They got hunted out. Yes, we bad. Then came domesticated sheep and goats. They meandered through rangeland. But the BLM kicked them out a few decades ago by either forcing them to pay for the privilege of grazing, or just flat out forcing them to leave. Guess what happened. Underbrush got out of control (these kinds of animals like brush). So the BLM started a very expensive spraying program to control underbrush. Then someone in the department got the bright idea of paying sheep herders to keep their flock on rangeland overrun with underbrush.
Gotta love it.
It looks like this question has been ruminated over by others.
30 mil bison produced 2.2 Tg CH4 per year. 36 mil bovine produced 2.5. Granted, this is a mathematically modeled value so should be taken with a grain of salt and a rather large standard deviation. But still, bison are way harder on rangeland ground cover than cows are. There is a bison ranch on Hwy 3 in Wallowa County and we have some escaped bison that roam the county from time to time.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V8W-4Y1MS5T-1&_user=10&_coverDate=03%2F15%2F2010&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_origin=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1455227783&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=49418b1afb3d3f714aedf3ab91394525&searchtype=a
The principle of unintended consequences on feeding cows oregano was not considered by the University. If the addition of oregano decreases cow burps and increases milk production, then dairy farmers will be able to buy more cows. In addition, since cows are also major sources of meat, the meat prices will go down and more meat will be consumed. Now when I eat meat I produce methane and when I cook the meat I produce CO2. I really like steaks. If I am typical, then those segments of the population who consume meat are producing methane and CO2 .Since people consume about 8 oz of meat per day which represents a 1/2000 of the total weight of a cow, it clear that the major culprits of methane and CO2 production are meat eating people. I smell an opportunity to obtain a juicy research grant from PETA to measure the monthly quantity of methane gas released by meat eating humans. I expect that this number will exceed all the cows and other ruminants. I plan to seek a supplementary grant for support to measure monthly CO2 production by humans. Maybe the real source of a global warming has been overlooked by IPCC, it is the human population explosion.
Corky Boyd, have you ever actually tasted grass? I grew up on grass-fed beef and sheepmeats, plus occasional rabbits, venison and goat meat. I know that when dairy farmers use crops such as choumolia (sp?) the milk tastes a bit ‘strong’, but I have never detected a similarity between grass and any meat that was raised on it.
I enjoy grass-fed meat, but I suspect grass itself is an acquired taste.
Yuba Yollabolly says:
September 8, 2010 at 4:59 pm
Interesting numbers. But it all points out one critical thing. The amount we do not know concerning AGW far exceeds what we do know. Clearly, the explosion of rumminants in the past 2 centuries has had a much greater percentage impact on AGW than the “blowing of smoke” that puny humans do.
I guarantee you will taste the oregano in the milk. Back when milk was local, it would taste ‘funny’ at a restaurant in another part of the country, because of the difference in vegetation the cattle fed on.
If it improves the milk production, go for it. As for bovine methane production, this has always been a triviality beneath the notice of anyone interested in climate change.