How healthier farm animals can cut greenhouse gas emissions

When a dairy cow miscarries, a farmer loses far more than an unborn calf. Feed has been grown, land and water have been used, and greenhouse gases have been released during the cow's pregnancy, but milk production, a future animal and income are lost.

The top 3

  1. Cattle's Dominant Methane Contribution: A single cow can produce between 154 to 264 pounds of methane gas annually, and the global population of 1.5 billion cattle for meat production emits at least 231 billion pounds of methane each year.
  2. Regions with Highest Livestock Emissions: In 2018, Asia and the Americas were the dominant regions for livestock-related GHG emissions, each emitting over 1 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent annually, primarily from enteric fermentation.
  3. Feed's Influence on Methane Production: High-fiber diets in ruminants lead to more methane production, while higher-energy or more digestible diets, including concentrates like corn, can reduce methane output per unit of product.

Sources

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