Vermont Farmers Going Green, Cutting Cow Emissions

It sounds a bit odd, but Vermont farmers are "going green" by changing their cows’ diets and cutting emissions. That’s right, cutting cow emissions now falls under the category of "environmentally friendly." It’s no secret that the methane gasses released by cows are suspected of having an adverse effect on the earth’ environment and that they presumably contribute to global warming. Now, however, there is a grass-roots movement to do something about it.

Dairy farmers Tim Maikshilo and Kristen Dellert are two such farmers who are changing their cows’ diets to flaxseed, alfalfa and other greases that that high in Omega 3 fatty acids. Said Dellert, "I just figured a cow was a cow and they were going to do whatever they were going to do in terms of cow things for gas. It was pretty shocking to me that just being organic wasn’t enough, actually. I really thought that here we’re organic, we’re doing what we need to do for the planet, we’re doing the stuff for the soil and I really thought that was enough." Dellert found out, however, that it wasn’t enough, and that the dairy industry, by virtue of methane gasses released, quite literally, by cow burps, contributes 2% of the total greenhouse gases produced in the U.S.

The diet high in Omega 3s, however, is much better than corn and soy diets for decreasing production of methane in cows. As a side effect, Maikshilo and Dellert have noticed that their cows now also appear to be healthier, with shinier coats and fewer stomach and foot problems. It turns out, what is good for the environment, in this case, is also good for their business, as they have cut down on vet bills and the custom feed is no more expensive than the standard corn and soy feed that they had been using.