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Environmental Changes and our Livestock

Environmental Changes and Livestock: What You Need to Know Livestock sector contributes to a big percentage of agricultural produce its key in the global food security chain. Environmental changes have had a significant impact on livestock farming thus distracting the food supply chain. Climate change is majorly caused by the emissions from greenhouse gas which leads to the warming of the atmosphere. Ironically, the livestock sector contributes to climate change through its contributions to the emission of green gas.[1] This has had serious implications on livestock sector in the US. Some of the effect associated with environmental changes include; Low livestock production: Environmental changes cause an unpredictable weather patterns which has an impact on livestock sector. This has an overall performance on livestock performance which has an effect on the livestock products. Environmental changes also increase vulnerability of livestock as most of the time the environment becomes harsh for the sustainable of the animals.[1] Increase of temperatures during summer reduce animal production while it causes a slow down during winter. Effects on parasites that affect livestock’s: Environmental changes has caused changes and an increase in parasites that affect domestic animals. An increase in diseases such as bovine respiratory disease have been reported to have increased in the last few years. Impacts of Climate Change on Livestock Farming This has been blamed on environmentally factors. Some of this parasites affect crops which act as foods for the livestock. This has continued to affect plant and livestock diseases in most places in the US. Reduced quality and quantity of produce: The quality of produce such as feeds is degraded as a result of high atmospheric, increase of carbon dioxide and dry conditions. This however is very determined on factors such as location, species, crops, livestock system among others. This affects the quality of forage and feeds.[3] Extreme weather conditions such as floods may cause roots structure and decrease in total quality and quantity. Unpredictable rainfall: Livestock farming relies heavily on agricultural crops, while the growth of this crops needs reliable water. Climate change has affected rainfall pattern which has led to scarcity of water thus affecting the whole cycle. Livestock requires drinking water, crops for product processes. It is estimated that by 2025, 64% may experience constrained water conditions.[4] Reproduction: Livestock reproduction of both sexes is affected by heat stress. This affects cows and pigs in embryo employment development and low pregnancy rates. Cow fertility is compromised by too much heat or deficits. Lower sperm concentration has also been [...]

Effect of Cows on Environment?

Cows and the Environment: A Surprising Connection Effect of Cows ? What is the real cost of a steak dinner: A day’s wage or the destruction of an ecosystem? PETA insists that meat is murder. Americans are yet to be dissuaded. But for as long as there have been nice things, there have existed smart alecs to ruin them. An insidious proposition has recently been making its play. Cows flatulence is 70-120kg of Methane gas into our atmosphere annually. The argument goes that Methane, a Greenhouse Gas, traps heat which negatively impacts Earth’s climate. Livestock specifically contributes 26% of all Methane! Therefore, red-blooded Americans must curb their appetite for succulent sirloins otherwise Earth becomes a furnace! Obama declares War on Dairy The US government aims to reduce Methane output from bovines by 25% before the decade closes. But would this significantly impact climate scientists’ models? Here is a breakdown of cattle per top 5 countries. We’ve provided our own high-end annual Methane output estimates. 1) India: 301,600,000 cows. 39,894,851 US tons. 2) Brazil: 219,093,000 cows. 28,981,043 US tons. 3) China: 100,250,000 cows. 13,260,805 US tons. 4) United States: 91,988,000 cows. 12,167,929 US tons. 5) European Union: 88,600,000 cows. 11,719,774 US tons. If the entire US population shunned beef, cattle Methane output would not fall even 10%. “Like, just get rid of all the cows, man.” Assuming cows collectively drop dead tomorrow, the effects would be disastrous. Sure, global Methane output is cut by a quarter. Warming would theoretically decline and Arctic permafrost melt slow. But, even climate scientists acknowledge Earth cannot completely reverse gears. There is a guaranteed amount of climate change. Cows on the other hand play a delectable role. The obvious drawback, albeit manageable, is no beef and considerably less dairy. On the plus side, Cornell University estimates 800 million people could be fed with livestock grain. I personally prefer steak over Shreddies, but c’est la vie. Cornell professor David Pimentel notes that 100,000 litres of water are used for every kilogram of food. The average American consumes 666 litres daily! An omen? Eliminating cattle lets us mitigate water shortages at the very least. Poultry requires less fuel to prepare and provides greater protein per gram. Americans consume approximately 100lbs annually – twice as much as beef. While 800 million people is nothing to sneeze at, reallocating cattle resources feeds only 2% of Earth’s malnourished. Of course, Americans would look for a substitute, vegan or otherwise. Beef makes a colossal contribution to America’s economy. The [...]