The agriculture industry is a key contributor to climate change. Cows raised for beef and dairy have their own impacts, producing methane which is more potent than carbon in warming our atmosphere. Can dairy or beef farmers and ranchers change practices to reduce the environmental harm, while still producing healthy and necessary food and also making a living?
On this episode of Deeper Shade of Green, Professor Joseph McFadden is associate Professor of Dairy Cattle Biology and Animal Science in the Cornell School of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He's looking into ways to change what they feed cows to limit their methane production, while making the food products more efficiently. He also shares with us how the problem - and any solutions - can vary widely in different regions of the world for myriad reasons, including subsistence economies. One positive note: this is an area in which progress could slow climate change quickly.
Research and production help for this episode by Hector Perez. Music from the Syracuse-based Jazz Group E.S.P.
