California Dairy Farmers Migrating to Cheaper StatesApril 3rd, 2013 - Jill Ettinger
Facing rising feed costs, drought and high state taxes, farming is becoming increasingly more difficult for California’s dairy farmers, and some are being courted to leave the state, reports the Los Angeles Times. Read More:California Dairy Farmers Migrating to Cheaper StatesRancher Feeds Cows Candy to Cut Costs in DroughtAugust 29th, 2012 - Lacy
Worried about the cows that are fed corn, which makes them sick? Well, no need to worry any more; some farmers are now feeding their cows candy. Read More:Rancher Feeds Cows Candy to Cut Costs in DroughtKeep Off the Grass (If You Want to Live): Toxic Hybrid Bermudagrass Kills CowsJune 26th, 2012 - Jill Ettinger
Hybridized African Bermudagrass is being blamed as the culprit in the mysterious sudden death of a herd of cows in central Texas. The cattle, owned by rancher Jerry Abel reportedly began bellowing and convulsing after being let out to feed on the fresh grass. Fifteen of the 18 cattle died within several hours. Read More:Keep Off the Grass (If You Want to Live): Toxic Hybrid Bermudagrass Kills CowsDairy Cows Produce Fewer Greenhouse Gas Emissions Than Previously ReportedOctober 20th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner
A 2006 United Nations report stated that livestock were responsible for 18% of these emissions. To be fair, this statistic also included land use and degradation, deforestation, pesticide use and water pollution. Cow flatulence, however, continues to incur blame (not to mention really dorky jokes). Fear not, bovine lovers: Researchers at the University of Arkansas and Michigan Technological University have found that the dairy industry is responsible for only about 2% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Using 2007 and 2008 data from more than 500 dairy farms and 50 dairy processors, as well as data from more than 210,000 round trips transporting milk from farm to processing plant, Arkansas researchers examined the trail of carbon emissions—from dairy farms to the milk in your coffee. They concluded that total greenhouse gas emissions associated with the fluid milk Americans consume were lower than previously reported. Read More:Dairy Cows Produce Fewer Greenhouse Gas Emissions Than Previously ReportedCows Quarantined After Exposure to Natural-Gas WastewaterJuly 5th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner
I recently urged you to watch GasLand, HBO’s outstanding documentary on “fracking” (hydraulic fracturing)—a dangerous drilling procedure that allows natural gas to infiltrate our water supply and create pools of toxic wastewater. Since my June 28 blog post, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has quarantined 28 cows from a Tioga County farm, as they were exposed to a large pool of drilling wastewater from a nearby natural gas operation. Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding says he doesn’t know how much wastewater the cows consumed, and he announced the quarantine to prevent potentially contaminated beef from entering the food supply. “Cattle are drawn to the taste of salty water,” he says. “Drilling wastewater has high salinity levels, but it also contains dangerous chemicals and metals. We took this precaution in order to protect the public from consuming any of this potentially contaminated product should it be marketed for human consumption.” The cows were out to pasture when a wastewater holding pond leaked, sending contaminated water into the adjacent field. The resulting toxic pool killed a 30’ x 40’ patch of grass. While no cows were seen drinking the wastewater, their tracks were evident throughout the pool, which had extended 200 to 300 feet into their pasture. Tests found the wastewater contained chloride, iron, sulfate, barium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, sodium, strontium and calcium. Redding says he’s most concerned about the strontium, which can be toxic to humans (especially children). The state’s Department of Environmental Protection issued a notice of violation to the drilling company, East Resources Inc., and required further sampling and site remediation. This simply isn’t good enough. The site should be shut down before it causes even greater harm, and fracking should be outlawed altogether. Photo: Shaleshock Read More:Cows Quarantined After Exposure to Natural-Gas WastewaterA Possible Solution to the Methane MenaceJanuary 31st, 2010 - Barbara Feiner
A farmer may have more than 1,000 cows on his land, which create a steady stream of revenue—and manure. In fact, a dairy cow typically produces 150 pounds of manure per day. Multiply this by scores of cattle, and you get a large—and odoriferous—waste situation. Concerned about groundwater contamination and fecal-borne disease, farmers are continually on the lookout for ways to ensure safety and make cleanup easier. One approach involves methane digesters, which operate on an old technology and handle cleanup effectively. As an added bonus, they produce electric energy. By definition, a methane digester is a wastewater and solids treatment technology, according to Sustainable Conservation, a San Francisco-based environmental advocacy organization. When used on a farm, a digester processes animal waste under anaerobic conditions, yielding methane gas and reducing the volume of solids and treated liquids. The methane can be sold or used to generate electricity on the farm. The solid matter left behind is a valuable soil amendment. And the liquids become an easily applied fertilizer, with plant-available nutrients and low pathogen levels. Typically, large farms will store liquid and solid manure produced by livestock in large waste ponds. The manure is later pumped back onto fields as a source of fertilizer. But this type of storage scenario poses a host of problems, including strong odors, pathogens in the manure, and flooding of ponds and land when heavy rains or storms occur (allowing manure to reach local water sources). A methane digester provides a workaround solution, and harnessing the methane—a greenhouse gas more powerful than carbon dioxide—benefits the environment. To offset costs, the U.S. government has started giving subsidies to farmers who wish to install methane digesters. Some, however, believe digesters may not be the best solution for small farms. Other communities fight large-scale digester installation because of their industrial appearance and added traffic from waste haulers. Nonetheless, many environmentalists say the positives outweigh the negatives. Suggested Reading
Stopping E. Coli at Its SourceOctober 29th, 2009 - Barbara Feiner
Can David Asper’s research help protect our global food and water supply? A graduate student in veterinary microbiology at the University of Saskatchewan, Asper is working on a new cattle vaccine that may potentially stop E. coli at its source. Asper’s research builds on the work of his supervisor, Andrew Potter, PhD. As director of the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization–International Vaccine Centre, Dr. Potter helped create the first cattle vaccine against E. coli O157, which prevents bacteria from attaching to, and colonizing in, a cow’s intestines. Human illness occurs when meat becomes contaminated during slaughter or if feces mix with groundwater, thereby polluting drinking water, swimming water and/or food supplies. Infections can be mild, but some are severe to life-threatening. “The E. coli O157 vaccine is the first of its kind worldwide and is expected to significantly lessen the amount of E. coli O157 present in food products and also in the environment,” Dr. Potter says. But O157, while the most prevalent E. coli strain in North America, is one of hundreds of bacteria that cause disease by producing Shiga toxin (STEC). Even healthy cows can carry STEC bacteria, so identification of infected cattle can prove difficult. “Right now, STEC bacteria is the No. 1 cause of renal [kidney] failure in children around the world,” Asper says. “It affects adults, too, but children are the most susceptible.” Asper’s vaccine prototype could protect cattle against several non-O157 bacteria. It will be tested on mice and cattle over 3 to 5 years. “We can protect humans by vaccinating animals before they come in contact with the pathogen,” he says. “I think that’s very important work that will lead to a lot fewer infections.” Beef and dairy producers could also benefit from Asper’s work. When STEC is found in just one meat sample, beef processors are required to destroy the entire shipment—a significant cost to farmers. Photo by Scott Bell Read More:Stopping E. Coli at Its Source |
Much has been written about cows’ role in producing greenhouse gas emissions. (Think burps and farts.) 
