4 ms·
Moneyball for Cattle
- baxtr 7y agoMeanwhile elsewhere: "Eating meat has ‘dire’ consequences for the planet, says report" [1] [1] https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/01/commission-report-great-food-transformation-plant-diet-climate-change/ https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/01/commi...
- dmix 7y agoI'm not sure what that has to do with the article, even if it's correct. Certain cattle getting a higher price, where in the past they may have been overlooked by high-end markets, would do little to nothing in regards to the carbon output of mass meat production. These same animals were going to be a part of animal agriculture regardless.
- tyleo 7y agoI’d like to take a positive spin on this. Applying what we’ve learned from the article: It would be interesting, in addition to selecting cattle for quality, to also select them for carbon efficiency. I wonder whether there are similar genetic markers that can be used to estimate the methane output of one of these animals over its lifespan and breed accordingly.
- protomyth 7y agoOr we could change the diet of our existing cattle. There seems to be some solid research to show that feeding seaweed to cattle will cut emissions by a significant percentage. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/people-and-culture/food/the-plate/2016/11/seaweed-may-be-the-solution-for-burping-cows/ https://www.nationalgeographic.com/people-and-culture/food/t...
- Retric 7y agoThat is already being indirectly bread for. Methane and extra CO2 both repress waste energy, so more efficient cattle means less greenhouse gasses.