Cows can feed lots of people but their gaseous output supposedly contributes to greenhouse gases. And they stink. Solution: biotech.
To help feed the world’s growing population, the agriculture industry is researching new technologies. The real challenge, however, is feeding the world without harming air quality.
A new study led by the University of California, Davis shows that biotechnologies increase food production and reduce harmful gas output from cattle.
“We are increasing the amount of product with same input,” said Clayton Neumeier, PhD student at UC Davis, in a recent statement.
The study, published in the journal Animal Frontiers, describes a recent experiment in which a test group of cattle were treated using biotechnologies. Two groups were implanted with Ionophores and Beta-adrenergic agonists respectively – biotechnologies that help cattle grow more efficiently. A third control group was not treated at all.
By placing finishing steers in a special corral that traps emissions, researchers measured gas output. The groups were tested four times each to ensure accurate results.
They produced more milk and less methane.
This sets up a conflict for the Luddite greenies to deal with. You can get more productive, less stinky cows, and help feed the world, but you have to deal with the devil of genetic modification to get there.
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