Seaweed makes healthier cows
A former Canadian dairy farmer who fed his cows seaweed from a nearby beach showed that the kelp was really effective in reducing methane.
The Ottawa Sun reports that Joe Dorgan, a former dairy farmer in Seacow Pond, used to feed seaweed to his cows as their source of minerals and vitamins. Being so close to sea, many of his cows were grazing near the shore.
Dorgan said the seaweed-fed cows were healthier and produced more milk. That’s when the light went on and he saw a business opportunity. He then sold his herd, and sought to get his seaweed product approved by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for sale to other farmers.
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Tests at Dalhousie University’s faculty of Agriculture in Truro, N.S., showed that the product reduced the methane in the cows’ gaseous output by about 20%.
Meanwhile Dorgan’s company, North Atlantic Organics, is trying to keep up with demand for its products — shipping across Canada and the United States, and some overseas.
Source: Ottawa Sun
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