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Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Dairy industry's goal for less-gassy cows just one example of global issues in U.S. agriculture

Methane is a major greenhouse gas causing global warming and climate change, but much of comes from the intestines of mammals and is hard to, well, regulate. But now, "The U.S. dairy industry wants to engineer the 'cow of the future' to pass less gas," reports Robert Imrie of The Associated Press.

Intestinal methane is the single largest component of the dairy industry's carbon footprint, and the industry wants greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020, AP was told by Thomas Gallagher, CEO of the U.S. Dairy and Dairy Management Inc. Innovation Center. Possible measure include feed additives such as fish oil or changing the mix of intestinal microbes.

The Applied Sustainability Center at the University of Arkansas "estimates the dairy industry contributes less than 2 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions," Imrie reports. "But consumers increasingly demand products that are produced, packaged and distributed in a sustainable way, Gallagher said." (Read more)

The story is one of several in today's edition of Farm Policy that illustrate how U.S. agriculture is influenced by global factors. Other stories on the aggregating blog report on another aspect of climate change, a proposed cap-and-trade system that would reward farmers and foresters for practices that reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, the leading greenhouse gas; the World Trade Organization's consideration of whether animal-welfare issues can be cause for a country to reject certain imports; and talks between the U.S. and Mexico to work out a plan to allow Mexican trucks to haul produce into the U.S.; and yesterday's announcement that the U.S. would ease restrictions on families visiting relatives in Cuba and allowed them to send additional money and products back to relatives in the country. Farmers hope this will lead to the reduction or elimination of trade restrictions, opening the Cuban market for American produce. (Read more)

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