Dairy cows produce methane during rumination (the digestion process that allows them to eat grass), and according to Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada “In one year, the amount of methane a dairy cow produces is equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions from a mid-sized vehicle driven 20,000 kilometres”. Tackling this harmful emission, which is about 28 times more powerful than CO2 when it comes to warming the Earth, can help farmers continue to earn a sustainable livelihood while contributing to positive climate outcomes.
October 14, 2020
Kennedy Nikel and Dr. Jennifer Clark, part of the Cascadia Seaweed Science Team collecting sori, the reproductive tissues of kelp
.
The research being advanced by Cascadia Seaweed — and its academic, government and industry partners — is investigating native, cold-water seaweeds from coastal British Columbia which, when added in small amounts to a cows daily feed, can dramatically decrease the amount of methane produced primarily through cow “burps”. Similar research from all corners of the globe with positive results have been obtained using a warm-water red seaweed called
Asparagopsis taxiformis
, but the goal for Cascadia Seaweed is to cultivate a local species, or a combination of cold-water seaweeds, with equally effective outcomes.
Bill Collins, Chairman of Cascadia Seaweed, says that the project is focusing on a subset of seaweeds that can be sustainably cultivated and provided to farmers. “Not only will they assist the beef and dairy industry in reducing methane outputs, the pressure on arable land to grow monoculture crops for feed will be reduced, providing opportunities to improve soil health which in turn draws down CO2 from the atmosphere and works to restore ecological balance.”
Cascadia Seaweed’s Chief Science Officer, Dr. Jennifer Clark, says that among the 600 or so native species, there are varieties that may contain physical and chemical attributes which will interact with the digestive systems of cows to reduce methane production and to increase the animal’s efficiency in digestion. “Along with our current cultivated species of red and brown seaweeds, there are 50 or so other target species that we think may hold the key to an effective and palatable feed additive.”
Cascadia Seaweed CEO, Mike Williamson, reports that the company is continually looking for the highest and best use of its cultivated seaweeds. “We are growing to be the largest provider of cultivated seaweed in North America, and we are doing so in a carbon negative manner. Along with using seaweed as a healthy and nutritious ingredient for human foods, we are investigating other verticals that equally contribute positive outcomes to the climate, coastal communities and our First Nations partners, along with our stakeholders. The reduction of methane from cows with our seaweed as a feed additive, is a natural fit with our vision and values.”
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