Article Analysis 3: Cows Cows provide a huge portion of the foods we consume daily. Their health and effect on the environment is very important to scientists and to us. It is not easy to keep large herds of cattle healthy, in good shape and out of harms way which is why the research that is done on them is crucial. It is important to identify their diseases, their best diet and how to keep them clean. In the first article written by Kathiann Kowalski titled Cool jobs: Crazy about cows, we are introduced into the world of cows with a reminder of how important they are and the effects they have on our lives. The first part is Dr. Orsel who specializes in investigating illnesses between cows. She explains that since animals try to hide their …show more content…
The goal was to find a good use for all the waste that come from cow manure to not only help the farmers gain more money but to also help the environment. Dr.Kirk has been looking for ways to turn this manure into biogas. Biogas is gas produced by a biological process, which can contain methane, carbon dioxide and other chemicals. A biogas can be burned for energy. Dr.Kirk uses anaerobic, oxygen free, digestion to create them. They are basically creating an extension of the cow’s stomach. Since manure is digested food, most of the energy of the food has been consumed but microbes, which are living things that can not be spotted with the naked eye such as bacteria, break the wastes down to get even more energy. They can be harnessed as fuel. When a biogas is burned, it can produce steam and electricity. The methane in them, when processed more, can be turned into fuel. Many wastes are used to create a lot of electricity, even waste from school cafeterias. This lowers the cost of electricity and is extremely efficient. Kirk’s team has been trying to add a solar collector. Heat from the can can rise temperature of a digester at levels that is best for microbes. They are also looking at ways to better use manure as a fertilizer which can not only help the environment but it would cut the cost of fertilizers while raising their quality. Manure’s contain phosphorus and too much of that in the rain can lead to harmful algal blooms. Algae can poison water or clog water-treatment plants. Therefore, keeping manure off the ground and putting it to good use can also help clean up water enough for a cow to drink. In the article written by Russ White and Hannah Watts titled MSU Leading Advancement in Anaerobic Digestion Technology published on MLive.com explains how the technology that Dr.Kirk uses, anaerobic digestion, is the biological process of breaking down organic waste using naturally occurring microorganisms.
which results in healthy cattle. We use our cattle for milk and meat, and you wouldn’t want
The author states that cows are responsible of at least 18% of methane that is in our atmosphere. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is odorless and colorless. The author also states that carbon dioxide is cleaner than methane. Methane released right into the atmosphere will be a thing of the past, because the National Institute For Agricultural Technology of Argentina has created a backpack that can be placed on cows. That bag has tubes that go into the digestive tract of the cow and collects 300 liters of methane. That is enough energy to be used to power a car for 24 hours instead of being released into the atmosphere. While each bag collects only 300 liters, one adult cow will produce 1000 liters of methane in one day. One day of methane collection can power a car for more than 72 hours or 3 cars for more than 24 hours. Methane can also be used for generating electricity by burning it to produce heat. While methane is harmful, there are still ways to reduce the output of it in the atmosphere by putting it to good
In the US today cattle are part of everyday culture. With more than 93 million cattle in the dairy and beef industry, and tens of thousands in the rodeo business, cattle are definitely a huge part. Lately, there has been many concerns with the bovine friends along with multiple misconceptions. Rodeos may look tough on animals, and todays society is not educated well enough on the beef and dairy industry. People don’t realize that these animals are happy, healthy, and very well cared for.
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.
In the past century there has been a substantial change in the way human beings raise and keep animals meant for food. While in the past there were great numbers of widely spaced small individual farms, now there are relatively few, but extremely large industrialized farms. And as the numbers of animals kept and slaughtered for human consumption increases, these industrialized farms, known as Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations or CAFO's, are having more and more of an impact on the environment and people around them. The concentration of animals causes a major problem with the waste products they produce, as well as the gases, chemicals, and other types of byproducts. And the increased use of antibiotics in the animals is beginning to have a profound effect on the health of not only the environment but the communities that exist around these industrialized farms. CAFO's, and their secondary industries, are also a large consumer of oil, gasoline, and other fuels which can have an indirect, but devastating effect on the environment. Luckily there are some who have come to recognize the problems, and potential future problems, involved in this type of animal farming and have begun to inform the public to the dangers these farms pose. And in response to this information, the public is beginning to force changes in the way these CAFO's operate and the impact they have on the environment and
Cows are animals that are used to extract many things, since clothes to food. More than 9.3 million cows were used to produce milk in the United States in 2008, and more than 2.5 million dairy cows were slaughtered for meat. In the farms cows are forced to give birth to collect the milk because the first milk is the best, because male calves will not grow up to produce milk, they are considered of little value to the dairy farmer and are sold for meat. Millions of these calves are taken away to be raised for beef. Hundreds of thousands of other male calves born into the dairy industry are raised for veal. Cow lives all her life in a deplorable place where every day the machine extract milk from their udders causing cancer on it when the cow does not serve she is sends to the slaughterhouse to sell their meat. These are the kind of life led farm animals and although they have
The conditions in which meat livestock live in is not exactly that of a large open green field in which they are free to roam and be merry. In the Economist article, Cows down: The beef business (2008) the effects of the ill conditions cows talks of how a
My group read two books that shared a common theme. The two books were The Giving Tree and 14 Cows for America. The two books’ theme was giving when someone is in need. The books’ ways of teaching the theme is similar and different. Here are some similarities and differences.
The renewable energy that the Georges produced through the bio-gas is set up to offset the farm's electricity use and/or sell the power at wholesale rates to the local utility. In the article it stated that the change to bio-gas results in less odor-causing compounds in manure in a liquid storage system and the breaking down of manure in the digester changes the organic nitrogen into ammonium which is when spread on the fields it’ll become more readily available when consumed by the plants allowing for less nutrient runoff. Also reduces weeds appearing in the fields causing less weeds growing with crops. Another great thing about the digestion process it also reduces methane, a greenhouse gas, emissions (basically global warming) which would otherwise remain in the atmosphere for 9 to 15
Abd El-Shaffy and G. A. Abd El-Rahman. El-Nor, Khalif and El-Shaffy are from the Dairy Science Department, National Research Centre, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt. Khattab and El-Sayed are from the Animal Production Department Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, Shoubra Al-Kheimah, Cairo, Egypt. The last author El-Rahman is from the Animal Production Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University. All that was just listed was the source of authority that these authors have in their country. These authors or professors are well-prepared to write about this topic because they talk about the whole experiment. They inform the reader about what was done in the experiment and what came out of the experiment. This article came from Revista Veterinaria. The intended readers are possibly Buffalo breeders to see what is the best way to feed the calf and what milk is the most nutritious. Also people that are interested in this topic can read this article as well. There
Our initial purpose of researching this topic has been inspired by the growing concern for the outbreak of Mad Cow Disease and it's various forms. We believe that it is imperative that we take our research and implement it to others along with facts in order to generate concern for other countries regulations, United States regulations, health concerns and economical awareness.
In addition to air pollution, cows produce water pollution. Millions of cows crowded together in little fields urinating and defecating turn the ground
Right when the US department of agriculture (USDA) found out, they launched an emergency investigation that involved the United States and Canada. Canada and the States had a goal which was to find out where this disease started and to stop it before it was too late. Some people say that all slaughtered cows should be tested, but the problem is that many of these cows are very young and the disease will not show up in the cows until they have reached 30 months of age. DeHaven also said that “This is a disease with a very long incubation period-typically three to eight years.”
The cattle industry produces vast amounts of strain in the environment. It is energy inefficient, pollutes water, occupies many acres of land, and deteriorates the health of the people who abuse its consumption. The government subsidizes this industry. Therefore, the price paid for meat doesn’t reflect the environmental hazards involved in the process. In order to protect our health and the health of the environment we should pay close attention to our food choices and make sure we don’t support industries that degrade it.
“You can change the world. You must change the world” –PERSON. Our earth is suffering due to our own actions. If you were educated to use your power to help better the world, would you? Cowspiracy is an inspiring educational documentary that demonstrates the devastating effects that the meat and dairy industry and animal agriculture causes our world. Working with a remarkable budget of $117,000 that was completely crowdfunded, the film follows the journey of director Kip Anderson with cinematographer Keegan Kuhn as they expose the truth of how to live sustainably on our planet. Cowspiracy was awarded 4.3/5 on Rotten Tomatoes which accurately demonstrates how powerful Anderson and Kuhn’s work is. The film elements of mise-en-scene, dramatization,