Cows are one of the biggest producers of methane on Earth, although they are surpassed by methane emission as a byproduct of fracking. Methane is one of the most efficient greenhouse gases, and increases in atmospheric methane are one of the major contributors to the rise in greenhouse gas impacts in the atmosphere.
Now, scientists at Penn State University have identified a dietary supplement, 3-nitrooxypropanol, or 3NOP, which suppresses methane production in the cow’s digestive system. The preliminary results indicate a 30 percent reduction in methane emission. An interesting byproduct of this supplement is that cattle on the supplement gain weight much more quickly than the cows on a normal diet. The cows do not appear to suffer any discomfort from the use of the supplement.
You can read stories about it at Modern Farmer here and AAAS’ EurekAlert blog site here.
