Fifteen Vermont dairy farmers are participating in an tests trying to determine the best diet to cut the cattle’s methane emissions — a potent source of greenhouse gases. The diet now undergoing testing was developed by yogurt maker Stonyfield Farm and includes alfalfa and flaxseed, rich in Omega-3, amending the now-conventional diet of soy and corn. The average cow expels between 200 and 400 pounds of m ethane annually, and the UN has called livestock farming one of the most serious climate change threats. One Vermont participant is very pleased with the results so far — his cows are releasing 18% less methane, while milk production has remained steady, and the cows themselves are healthier and happier, he says. (Source: New York Times, June 4, 2009)
Contact: Gary Hirshberg, CEO, Stonyfield Farm, (603) 437-4040, www.stonyfield.com.