We now live in a carbon constrained world. Fears of human induced climate change are bringing about changes in government, corporate and consumer behaviors. Investments in renewable energy are increasing, corporations are greening everything from their supply chain to their vehicle fleet, and consumers are seeking to minimize their ecologic footprint as well. Are some of our greening efforts ...
They say, “You are what you eat.” What goes in and out of our bodies is obviously important for our general health and maintenance. Well, the same holds true for our cattle as well, but with one main difference: Where we only have one stomach to worry about, they have four! Cattle are animals technically classified as ruminants, a distinction that includes sheep, ...
The objective of this study was to evaluate a dairy located in the arid southwest United States to determine the concentrations and seasonal variation of airborne fungi and bacteria and to determine the percentage of antibiotic resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The authors used two-stage ambient air sampling systems to measure the culturable airborne fungal organisms and bacteria on a monthly ...
Researchers in Denmark have measured the quantities of greenhouse gases in the breath of dairy cows and demonstrated a heritable variability between individual animals. “This means that we have an opportunity to select for breeding those individuals which will produce offspring that generate less methane,” says Dr Jan Lassen who led the research project on individual methane ...
Wintering cattle directly in the field creates potential concerns with water quality, as nutrients added from urine and fecal material over the winter can end up in runoff water, ground water and soil. In 2008/2009 an experiment was conducted to observe the effect of in-field winter feeding of cows on the nutrients in spring snowmelt run-off water. Low temperatures give little opportunity for ...
The world’s agricultural system faces a great balancing act. To meet different human needs, by 2050 it must simultaneously produce far more food for a population expected to reach about 9.6 billion, provide economic opportunities for the hundreds of millions of rural poor who depend on agriculture for their livelihoods, and reduce environmental impacts, including ecosystem degradation and ...
A CONVERSION plant in Mead, Nebraska is processing manure and methane to create ethanol and compost. According to Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman: “This plant sets a new standard for ethanol production in this state and our nation, and is an example of the innovation needed to take this industry to the next level. It lets America get its automotive fuel from the croplands of the Midwest instead ...
The potential contribution of Industrial Ecology (IE) to sustainable development, though immense, remains elusive. This is due to the field boundaries whose demarcation lacks specificity. To address the challenge of boundary definition, an agro-industrial complex, the US Cattle Feedlot-Slaughterhouse System (CFSS), has been chosen to illustrate and provoke a discussion about where those ...
Pellets made of wood (sawdust), straw, seaweed etc, fall under the so called 3 E system. (Economic, Efficient, Ecological.) By pelletizing such products you can benefit from your waste, saving you money. Pellet machine is also called pellet press machine, pellet making machine, pellet extruder, pellet granulator and so on. The letter “machine” can be replaced by the letter ...
With his slow smile, trademark black cowboy hat and soft-spoken manner, Evan Chrapko is very much a modern rural Albertan. He's completely at home in the muck and mire of a farm, but equally at ease in a boardroom or at a black-tie-and-champagne reception. Evan and his brother, Shane, part of a family that grew up on an organic farm in eastern Alberta, are also a face of the Green Future. Evan ...
Iodine has a direct impact on growth rates as it is incorporated into the thyroid hormones which control metabolism, promoting efficient live weight gain. Annie Williams, Animal Scientist with Agrimin says that many beef units fall short on achieving optimum growth rates because animals do not receive adequate levels of trace elements at grass. She says that with increased feed costs, many ...
As writer Rowan Jacobsen explores in our recent feature “Has Meat Met Its Match?,” animal agriculture’s hefty environmental footprint is creating interest in exploring ways to meet humans’ growing appetite for animal protein that extend beyond beef, chicken and pork. In some places, that ...
Location: Stowell Farms, Wiltshire (England) Capacity: 499 kWel Input materials: Manure, grass and maize silage, feed remains Features: Processes the slurry of 500 herds of cattle into high-quality fertilisers. Digestion facility brings in revenues and helps boost the image of agriculture Stowell ...
The McGowans’ Gaia-Wind turbine powers their water bore hole; cattle sheds; and farmhouse and has given them control over their rising electricity bills. Purchased turbine: March 2010 Average annual energy production: 21,170 kWh Predicted payback period: 5-6 years “We own a mixed livestock and arable farm in Perthshire, Scotland. About two years ago ...
At Big Rock Brewery, spent grain is used as cattle feed. Pictured here is brewmaster Paul Gautreau. Alberta may not always get an A-grade when it comes to the environment, but in some areas the province’s enterprises are on the leading edge. In industries from agriculture to forestry to beer, Alberta businesses are taking their own initiative to become closed-loop producers – that ...
Gwyn Morgan is the retired founding CEO of EnCana Corp. The revolting image of foaming green sludge washed up on a Lake Winnipeg beach in the Aug. 24 edition of Maclean's is part of, as the accompanying article states: "a putrid green mat, twice the size of PEI, and clearly visible from space ... The culprit isn't oil spills, toxic waste or even pesticides, but nutrient overloading from ...
Trenbolone is an androgen agonist used in cattle production and has been measured in aquatic systems associated with concentrated animal‐feeding operations. In this study, the authors characterized the effects of aqueous exposure to 17β‐trenbolone during larval Xenopus tropicalis development. Trenbolone exposure resulted in increased mortality of post‐Nieuwkoop–Faber stage 58 tadpoles at ...
On a massive cattle feedlot located outside the town of Vegreville, Alta., the pungent odour of cow manure is masked by the sweet smell of the province’s energy future. Turning cattle dung — “brown gold,” as some call it — into green power and other valuable byproducts is a made-in-Alberta energy solution that is not only sustainable and energy efficient, but also ...
1. Back ground: Firms that produce alcoholic beverages from grain are an important market for dewatering Powerful Belt Press. The industry firms consist mostly of beer brewers and distilleries. Their raw materials are barley, corn, wheat, rice, and other grains. They all produce a common by-product: spent grain. Spent grain is the name given to material left after the grain is fermented and the ...
Kids love food, but it's not always the tasty treats that are good for them or the earth. Fatty, sugary, salty and processed foods generally have more of an environmental impact than eats of the fresh, locally produced variety. It is therefore important to teach them what is healthy to eat, and how and where their food comes from. This will help them to understand the impact of the food they eat, ...