Cattle Methanogens

Bill McKibben who is the author for the essay called The Only Way To Have a Cow claims that the way meat is made is an unclean practice that has many negatives. The biggest of them all is methane in the atmosphere. The release of methane can be of the past thanks to today’s methods and technology. Methane can be reduced by having the cows become free-range and grass fed but that would increase the price of meat. Other ways methane can be reduced in the atmosphere is by being stored and used for energy, and by altering cows diets.

It has also been estimated that animal agriculture is responsible for around 51% of all greenhouse gas emissions - more than all the cars, trucks, planes, trains, and ships in the world combined. One reason for this is the fact that over a third of all fossil fuels in the U.S. are used for animal transportation, relocation, and production. Aside from that, livestock also accounts for nearly 40% of all global methane emissions, and 65% of nitrous oxide emissions. Most of that methane is caused by factory farms feeding cows low-quality grains that they cannot properly digest - resulting in indigestion - causing large amounts of gas to enter the atmosphere.

When eating anything, most people check the labels to see what the food all consists of. Just like when eating hamburger, some people may want to know if the hamburger came from grass-fed or grain-fed cattle. Depending on the person, they might prefer one over the other. Some people may think that one tastes better than the other or they may just think it is healthier. Not only might the meat coming from the cattle be affected, but also the milk coming from a cow. Either way, further explanations for grass-fed vs. grain-fed cattle will be discussed in this paper.

It’s often argued that cows are the main source of our Methane emission, giving a strong argument to reduce, or even stop, our consumption of meat. In all actuality, only about six percent to seven percent of all greenhouse

“I’ve heard horse guys talk for years that if you have a good mare, you can breed her to anything,” Brett said. “If you have a mediocre mare, it doesn’t matter what you breed her to, you are going to have a mediocre colt. I think cows are the same way; you’ve got to have a good set of foundation cows that work in your environment.”

Manufacture of meat - laden co2 and methane, and requires alot water. Farm animals such as cow or goats is the largest producer of methane. When they digest their food, the FAO of the UN mentioned the meat production accounts for 18 global warming, bigger than on the contributions of the entire world's

In 1970, selective pure breeding was introduced and this improved the mass breeding of cattle, sheep and horses. This also enabled higher prices and profits for meat and wool.

Cows are herbivores, born to graze on grasses, clover, and whatever other delicious treats sprout from fertile fields. But grasses are neither rich in nutrients nor easy to digest. This is where the cow’s famous four stomachs and chewing the cud come into play. The physical breakdown of grasses by the teeth, followed by the bacterial breakdown in the rumen, eventually makes the nutrients available for absorption later down the line.

I’m sure a lot of you know very little or nothing at all about cattle genetics and breeding, or genetic improvements. Cattle genetics is a very long process that is used to improve your

Cow patties that have beetles in them released less methane than cow patties that had no beetles in them.

The effects of selective breeding and genetic manipulation can be seen in many ways as cruel treatment in the cattle industry, especially when talking about dairy cattle and beef cattle. As stated by United Kingdom levy board for milk production, the European Milk Development Council, “The average dairy cow now produces more than 6695 L of milk per year, approximately 20% more than her counterpart from just 10 years ago.” This is twenty times more than the average calf needs, meaning dairy cattle are exploited for their milk to satisfy the demand in the growing industry. Like humans, cows only produce milk when they are pregnant, meaning dairy cattle are pregnant most of their life. If not for the abuses of milk production within dairy cattle,

Fracking drills into the earth in order to obtain gas. However, in the process methane is leaked into the environment hurting the climate. When cows digest food, they too emit methane in their waste and their flatus. Cattle emits “one hundred and fifty billion gallons of methane per day and produces one hundred and thirty times more waste than all humans collectively”. Unlike human waste, most of it has no use and cannot be used for “waste treatment”.

Methylcoccus capsulatus is a Gram negative bacterium that is spherically shaped. It can grow in a wide variety of environments where oxygen is readily available, including soil and landfills. Furthermore, it is a methanotrophic bacterium, meaning that it uses methane as a carbon source and oxidizes it thus eliminating some of the methane that is emitted into the environment. Cows generate a significant amount of methane. This is concerning as it contributes to global warming. Rumen is the gastrointestinal tract of cows is the primary site for microbial fermentation of cattle feed. Dr. Kenmore believes that putting pmoCAB genes from M. capsulatus into E. coli will decrease the amount of methane that cows produce.

Throughout the years, cattle have been an important to the daily life of many people. Some examples that are used from cattle are the red meat that is known as beef, their skin can also serve as a protector from harmful weather and also used in clothing, also the hobby of showing cattle is widely known in the Americas. So, how does the world keep the growing demand of cattle stable?

Cattle are used for meat, dairy products, clothing, adornment, fertilizer, labor, land management, and conservation.