BEEF’S FOOTPRINT IS SHRINKING
A study published in the Dec. 18 Journal of Animal Science found that raising a pound of beef in the U.S. today uses significantly fewer natural resources -- including land, water, feed and fuel -- than in the past.
Dr. Jude Capper of Washington State University documented, in the paper "The Environmental Impact of Beef Production in the United States: 1977 Compared with 2007," that each pound of beef raised in 2007 used 33% less land, 12% less water, 19% less feed and 9% less fossil fuel energy than equivalent beef production in 1977. Waste outputs were similarly reduced, shrinking the carbon footprint of beef by 16.3% in 30 years, she said.
According to Capper's research, improvements in the way cattle are raised and fed in the U.S. between 1977 and 2007 yielded 13% more total beef from 30% fewer animals. Raising more beef from fewer animals maximizes natural resources while providing essential nutrients for the human diet.
"The facts are in. Improved cattle diets in the feedyard and responsible use of science-based technologies to improve the ability of cattle to convert feed to pounds of beef reduces the amount of land, water and fossil fuels it takes to raise beef," Capper said.
Capper attributed much of the reduction in beef's environmental footprint to raising cattle on grass pasture before finishing them on an optimally balanced diet of grasses, grains and other forages in a feedyard.
This project was supported by the beef checkoff program through a research grant from state beef councils in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Washington.
BIOFUELS BUZZ: Algae biofuel center
Researchers from the University of Georgia (UGA) and the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) are creating a renewable energy center to grow algae-based biofuels, according to a news release. The renewable energy center in Rio Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico, will be funded by a $4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense. UGA will receive $1.2 million, and UPR will receive $2.8 million.
K.C. Das, UGA professor of biological and agricultural engineering and the center's co-director, said the project melds UGA research strengths in thermochemical conversion of algae (into gas and bio-oils) with UPR research strengths in anaerobic digestion of algae, which uses microbes to convert biomass into biogases such as methane.
On a related note… The world's biofuel production capacity is set to rise from 44.6 billion gal. today to 54.1 billion gal. by 2015, according to Lux Research, which expects that ethanol capacity will reach 35.1 billion gal. per year by 2015. The best market opportunities for ethanol are in Brazil, Australia, China, Sweden and Thailand, the group said.
COMPUTER MODEL HELPS REDUCE ODORS AT LARGE FARMS
UNIVERSITY of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources extension assistant professor Teng Teeh Lim wants to give large, concentrated animal operations an economical way to lessen troubling smells.
Lim recently received a $50,000 "Mizzou Advantage" grant to develop a computer model that allows large producers to use the operation size and other simple information about their swine or dairy farm to give them a better idea of the amount of emissions and what they can do to address odor or emission issues.
"Measurement of emissions in the field can be very costly, very tedious to conduct and requires such hard work, setup and equipment maintenance for forever-changing pollutants and exhaust from such facilities," Lim said. "A lot of the information we collect in the field isn't readily available from average producers, so it becomes a give-and-take thing to create a model that uses only a few key variables that most people can understand and use while only losing some precision."
One solution lies in Lim's research on biofilters -- materials like woodchips that support microbial colonies and filter out and break down compounds that create pungent odors.
Biofilters have existed for decades, but Lim said he wants to make them cheaper and more accessible to producers. Lim's biofilter work builds on years of research to improve air quality and builds on the experience of colleagues across the country.
Lim's model uses on-the-ground measurements of emissions, such as dust, ammonia and hydrogen sulfides, collected during a two-year study of poultry, swine and dairy farms spearheaded by Purdue University. The hope is that, in the near future, a large producer can spend money more efficiently to mitigate odor without the cost of on-the-ground emission measurement.
"When a producer is more proactive, it gives the impression that he's being responsible and a good neighbor," Lim said. "We've already learned so much, but we want to further carry on and refine biofilters to be more specific and drive down the cost and maintenance so more people can use this technology."
The computer model will be available to use online later this year.
SOURCE: FEEDSTUFFS.COM
