Text 29233, 65 rader
Skriven 2007-07-09 19:40:00 av Jeff Binkley (1:226/600)
Ärende: Cows
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And then we have this...  Maybe we should breed cows to become 
carnivores and teach them to eat stupid liberals ?  

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http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL0989530020070709

Cows that burp less seen helping in climate fight
Mon Jul 9, 2007 1:20PM EDT
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Free $50,000 Practice AccountLONDON (Reuters) - Manners aside, getting 
cows to burp less can help reduce global warming.

Using modern plant-breeding methods to find new diets for cows that make
them belch less is a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, scientists 
said on Monday.

The key is developing new varieties of food that are easier for cattle 
to digest and also provide a proper balance of fiber, protein and sugar,
said Michael Abberton, a scientist at the UK-based Institute of 
Grassland and Environmental Research.

This could open up plant-based solutions as alternatives to reducing 
stock as farmers look for ways to cut methane emissions amid warming 
climates, he told a briefing on farming and climate change at London's 
Science Media Centre.

He noted the average dairy cow belches out about 100 to 200 liters of 
methane each day, making diet changes a key potential factor in reducing
this greenhouse gas.

"There is a common misperception about how methane gets into the 
atmosphere," he said. "It is actually through belching rather than the 
other end."

Agriculture is responsible for about seven percent of UK greenhouse gas 
emissions and a large proportion of two of the most potent gases with 37
percent of methane and 67 percent of nitrous oxide.

Greenhouses gases are widely blamed for causing global warming. 
Scientists say average temperatures will rise by between two and six 
degrees Celsius by the end of the century, causing droughts, floods and 
violent storms.

Abberton said introducing easier-to-digest legumes that tend to reduce 
methane emissions is an example of an approach scientists are beginning 
to explore. Legumes such as clover and alfalfa are commonly used for 
animal fodder.

It also requires farmers to balance cows' legume intake with other food 
and to develop different species of grass that are also more digestible,
he added.

"What I'm saying is there are approaches within plant breeding that can 
lead to reduced emissions," he said.

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