Beam me to Planet Gore !
Posted on 09/30/2010 10:31:46 AM PDT by JoeProBono
A dash of oregano does more than make pizza taste delicious: it also can reduce the amount of methane in cow burps, new research shows.
Scientists have been trying to decrease methane from livestock for years; methane is over 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2) as a greenhouse gas, and cows in the U.S. emit about 5.5 million metric tons of methane per year. Scientists have tried vaccines, breeding, antibiotics, and other dietary supplements like garlic or fumaric acid (found in lichens and moss). Alexander Hristov, assistant professor of dairy nutrition at Penn State, spent six years in his lab trying various natural methods to cut cows' methane belches. Eventually, oregano surfaced as the most effective methane suppressant.
Hristov then took oregano into the field, "and we saw the same effect there," he says, cutting the cows' emissions by 40 percent.
Decreasing methane production in dairy cows, the type Hristov worked with, also increases their milk production. "Methane is an energy loss to the animal, and if you reduce methane production, there is energy available for the animal" to make milk, he explains.....
Well I guess we can expect alfalfa fields to replaced with oregano fields.
If farmers can increase milk production simply by feeding their cows oregano they will do it and they could not care less about methane production. It is all about production verses cost.
The only questions left are do the farmers need new equipment to plant and harvest oregano. What kind of pest problems does oregano have? What is the best fertilizer to use?
Oh, one more thing. How much will the price of milk drop due to increased efficiencies?
I invite anyone that thinks this is stupid to spend some time downwind of one of these huge dairy outfits.
Garden Ping...
Do we really want Oregano flavored Rib Eye???
I'm already working on drying those cow pies and grinding them into powered oregano for Mexican Restaurants
With the Obama economy you better figure on burning those cow pies for fuel.
Perhaps it would work for pigs.
I would rather be down wind of a dairy farm over a pig farm any day.
Momma probably already puts oregano in her beef rub before she BBQs them anyway. I’m mainly concerned that there’s plenty of garlic and hot spices in the rub.
I’m wondering if it’s going to become law that beer must have oregano in it. My sister in law would vote for some foolish law like that!
GARLIC? I’ll put 10 pounds on the evening Wells Fargo Stage. It should get to the Washoe basin in 4 days or so...
You’d think for a Wop that she would try to use too much but I am always poking her to double up what the recipe book calls for. I love fresh garlic and fresh habanero peppers even more.
Are you positive this is a totally unrelated coincidence?
Alfalfa and clover is a good finishing diet for them.
That’s my story and I’m sticking with it.
Methane it self has no odor. Natural gas has to have odorant added (methyl mercaptan) added so leaks can be smelt.
It should keep you out of the divorce court. I’ll testify that you refused to expand your remarks.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.