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LinkedInPosts Tagged: agriculture
Feeding grazing cattle seaweed cuts methane emissions by almost 40%
Findings offer solution for more climate-friendly cattle farming
Seaweed is once again showing promise for making cattle farming more sustainable. A new study by researchers at the University of California, Davis, found that feeding grazing beef cattle a seaweed supplement in pellet form reduced their methane emissions by almost 40% without affecting their health or weight. The study was published Dec. 2 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
This is the first study to test seaweed on grazing beef cattle in the world. It follows previous studies that showed seaweed cut methane emissions 82% in feedlot cattle and over 50% in dairy cows.
How much methane do cattle produce?
“Beef cattle spend only about three months in feedlots and spend most of their lives grazing on pasture and producing methane,” said senior author Ermias Kebreab, professor in the Department of Animal Science. “We need to make this seaweed additive or any feed additive more accessible to grazing cattle to make cattle farming more sustainable while meeting the global demand for meat.”
Difficulty in reducing methane emissions from cattle
Kebreab said that daily feeding of pasture-based cattle is more difficult than feedlot or dairy cows because they often graze far from ranches for long periods. However, during the winter or when grass is scarce, ranchers often supplement their diet.
For this study, researchers divided 24 beef steers (a mix of Angus and Wagyu breeds) into two groups: one received the seaweed supplement, and the other did not. Researchers conducted the 10-week experiment at a ranch in Dillon, Montana. Since these were grazing cattle, they ate the supplement voluntarily, which still resulted in a nearly 40% cut in emissions.
Most research studies to reduce methane emissions using feed additives have taken place in controlled environments with daily supplements. But Kebreab noted in the study that fewer than half of those methods are effective for grazing cattle.
“This method paves the way to make a seaweed supplement easily available to grazing animals,” said Kebreab. “Ranchers could even introduce the seaweed through a lick block for their cattle.”
Kebreab said pastoral farming, which includes large grazing systems, supports millions of people around the world, often in areas vulnerable to climate change. This study suggests a way to make cattle grazing better for the environment, while playing a role in fighting climate change.
A related article in the same PNAS issue highlights the need to improve the efficiency of livestock production in low- and middle-income countries using better genetics, feeding and health practices. UC Davis Professor and Cooperative Extension Specialist Alison Van Eenennaam, the article's author, said it is the most promising approach to meet the global demand for meat while limiting greenhouse gas emissions.
Other authors of the seaweed study include UC Davis postdoctoral researchers Paulo de Méo Filho and John-Fredy Ramirez-Agudelo.
The research was supported by Matador Ranch in Dillon, Montana.
This article was first published on the UC Davis news site.
Desert Organic Research and Food Safety Workshop set for Dec. 4 in Holtville
The "Advances in Southwest Desert Agriculture Research, Organic Production and Food Safety" workshop is scheduled for Dec. 4 in Holtville. This event will showcase cutting-edge research and practical organic farming strategies tailored to California's unique desert environment.
The symposium will feature presentations from University of California Cooperative Extension advisors and other experts.
The agenda covers a range of critical topics, including insect pest management in low desert agriculture, weed management strategies for guayule seedlings, summer cover crops for soil health and disease management, integrated pest management for onion diseases, predicting sugar beet cyst nematode suppressiveness, and microbial risk assessment of soil amendments in organic romaine lettuce.
“These presentations will provide valuable insights into improving desert vegetable production, irrigation efficiency, and food safety practices specific to our region,” said co-organizer Jimmy Nguyen, University of California Cooperative Extension food safety and organic production area advisor for Imperial and Riverside counties.
“This symposium presents an excellent opportunity to learn about the latest research findings directly applicable to Imperial County agriculture, gain practical knowledge to enhance your agricultural practices, and network with fellow professionals and researchers in the field.”
The UC Cooperative Extension team aims to foster the exchange of ideas and promote the advancement of agricultural practices in the community.
“We encourage everyone involved in growing crops in Imperial County to attend this informative event and contribute to the ongoing dialogue on agricultural innovation in the Southwest desert region,” Nguyen said.
The workshop will be held at Barbara Worth Country Club, 2050 Country Club Dr, Holtville, CA 92250. Register at https://surveys.ucanr.edu/survey.cfm?surveynumber=43924.
For more information, please contact UC Cooperative Extension advisors Jimmy Nguyen, cgnguyen@ucanr.edu; Philip Waisen, pwaisen@ucanr.edu; Ali Montazar, amontazar@ucanr.edu; or Oli Bachie, obachie@ucanr.edu; or call (442) 265-7700.
UC Davis Alumna Inga Zasada to Present Dec. 2nd Seminar on Nematodes
UC Davis doctoral alumna Inga Zasada of the USDA-ARS Horticultural Crops...
Inga Zasada, who received her doctorate in plant pathology in 2002 from UC Davis and is now a research plant pathologist with USDA-ARS, will present a seminar on Dec. 2 in 122 Briggs Hall.
Outstanding Group of UC Davis Graduate Students at ESA Meeting
Graduate students with the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology excelled at...
Standing behind the ESA motif are UC Davis doctoral candidates Christofer Brothers, CC Edwards and Lexie Martin.
UC Davis doctoral student Iris Quayle of the Jason Bond lab discussing her research on "A (Finally) Complete Phylogeny for the Charismatic Genus Onymacris Using Ultraconserved Elements." (Photo courtesy of Lexie Martin)
Doctoral student Briley Mullin of Ian Grettenberger lab speaking on "Evaluating the Use of Predatory Plant Bugs (Hemiptera: Miridae) as Biological Control Against the Invasive South American Tomato Leaf Miner (Tuta absoluta) in California Tomato Fields." (Photo courtesy of Lexie Martin)
UC Davis doctoral candidate Lexie Martin of the Rachel Vannette lab presenting her work on "Microbial Acquisition and Interactions in the Blue Orchard Bee (Osmia lignaria)"
UC Davis doctoral student Abigail Lehner of the Neal Williams lab discussing "Do Blue Orchard Bees (Osmia lignaria) Exhibit Plastic Behavior in Response to Parasitism by the Non-Native Houdini fly (Cacoxenus indagator)?" (Photo courtesy of Lexie Martin)
UC Davis Entomology Graduate Student Association members--Ziv Lieberman, Iris Quayle and CC Edwards--offering entomology T-shirts, all designed by members. They can be ordered online at https://ucdavisentgrad.square.site.
A view of the crowd from the UC Davis Entomology Graduate Student Association (EGSA) T-shirt booth. (Photo courtesy of Lexie Martin)
Workshop on agritourism regulations highlights good ideas, challenges across California
Image: California Department of Fish & Wildlife, CC BY 2.0.
This fall, UCCE Food Systems Advisor Olivia Henry worked with UC SAREP's Agritourism Coordinator Rachael Callahan and Alexis Koefoed of Pleasants Valley Agricultural Association to host a webinar on models of agritourism regulations across California. As defined by UC SAREP, agritourism is a commercial enterprise at a farm or ranch for the enjoyment of visitors that generates supplemental income. Agritourism activities include u-picks, farm stays, weddings, mountain biking and more. Many of these activities are not allowed in agriculturally zoned areas without being explicitly included in the relevant county or city code.
In March, Solano County planners floated the idea of creating an agritourism overlay for the Pleasants Valley, Lagoon Valley and Winters areas. Henry, Callahan and Koefoed wondered what creative policy ideas for supporting agritourism might apply to this corner of Solano County, where small farms and ranches line valleys at the base of low mountains. The webinar's six speakers came from Contra Costa, Santa Barbara and El Dorado counties — all places where agritourism regulations were recently adopted or updated. Speakers included representatives from the county and agritourism farmers that been active in the policy making process. The intent of the webinar was for both Solano County staff as well as local farmers to attend and learn about their role in the process. Learning from their peers, county staff heard about regulations that could potentially be adapted for Solano county, while farmers gained insights into how to engage with the county. You can watch a recording of the webinar or view slides.
Here are a few takeaways:
Developing regulations takes time.
Solano County farmers could expect to wait years before new agritourism rules are on the books. In Contra Costa County, the process began in 2016 at the urging of a county supervisor to look into ways to support the economic viability of agriculture. It was only in March 2024 when the Agritourism Ordinance was finally adopted by the Board of Supervisors. In Santa Barbara County, what is now called the Agriculture Enterprise Ordinance has been in the works since 2016. Even when policy is adopted, it may need to be regularly revised. That's the case with El Dorado County's Ranch Marketing Ordinance, which has been around in some form since the 1980s but has been regularly updated to better account for small farms, wineries and most recently challenges with on-farm weddings.
Educational events can fall into grey areas.
Attendees were asked which agritourism topics they were most interested in, and many people indicated they wanted to hear about how other counties' policies address on-farm educational experiences such as tours and classes. Santa Barbara's Agriculture Enterprise Ordinance exempts low-intensity “educational experiences” under a certain size from needing a permit, with larger and more frequent tours — as well as those taking place next to legacy crow crop properties — needing a conditional use permit. Neither the El Dorado or Contra Costa codes explicitly mention things like tours or classes, although the Ranch Marketing Ordinance does have specific requirements for “marketing events” in which farms offer special product sales or promotions. Speakers explained that, even if small educational events are in a regulatory grey area, their counties were most concerned about high-impact agritourism uses: events with lots of people, cars, noise and water use.
Regulating large events can be a challenge.
Big events can be a major revenue opportunity for farmers, but planners worry about traffic, effects on neighbors and other impacts in neighborhoods that weren't designed for large crowds. El Dorado County has a creative way to let neighbors know that big events are coming up nearby: the Ranch Marketing and Winery Event Data portal lists the date, location, hours and point of contact for special events. All that information has to be posted two weeks in advance. Still, Agricultural Commissioner LeeAnne Mila said complaints about weddings have increased to the point where she recently proposed a new permit requirement for farms to host special events. In Contra Costa County, one of the unique concerns around high-intensity agritourism uses is water. Principal Planner Jennifer Cruz explained that stress on groundwater resources was a major consideration during the policy development process. The final ordinance explicitly requires bed and breakfast establishments and farm-to-table restaurants to have a retail water supplier or be located within the boundaries of a specific groundwater sub-basin.
How do you make sure farming is the primary land use, not tourism?
The goal of agritourism is to help farms stay economically resilient, and that's what regulators say they want, too. But some speakers addressed the worry that making tourism activities allowable in agriculturally zoned areas will make entertainment the primary land use, not growing food. Rancher Guner Tautrim said that in Santa Barbara County, part of their strategy was to limit the scale and frequency of events to “a threshold to where it's helping the rancher but it's not making so much money that they're like, ‘Oh, I'm not even going to plant my crop.'”
In Contra Costa, the ordinance tries to address this concern by requiring that agritourism operators submit an “agricultural activities and promotion plan” with permit applications for uses like farm stays, farm dinners and farm-to-table restaurants. The plan has to demonstrate that the primary use of the land is for growing food, and should show how the use “will promote local agriculture and educate guests.”
In El Dorado County, Mila said she is concerned about “fake farms” that plant the required minimum acreage of crops – five acres of permanent cropland or ten acres of annual cropland — with the ultimate intent of running a wedding business and not a farm business. The current code allows those farms to host 24 special events per year without a land use permit. In an effort to reinforce the primacy of ag, Mila put forward revision to allow 12 special events per year with an administrative permit, and an additional two events allowed for every “confirmed additional 5 acres of crop cultivated and capable of producing a commercial crop” up to 24 events per year.
Agritourism regulations are zoning regulations – but other departments are involved, too
Agritourism regulations are fundamentally zoning regulations: rules that say what you can do on a given parcel of land. Zoning is the purview of planning departments, and these departments are usually the first stop for agritourism operators looking to find out if their project is allowable, and whether or not a land use permit is needed. But getting an agritourism enterprise off the ground means also working with other departments and jurisdictions. In Santa Barbara County, rancher Tautrim cautioned that supportive zoning regulations don't mean agritourism projects will be met with open arms by every regulator. He explained that environmental health departments might ask for septic systems, or fire departments might ask for sprinkler systems — all expensive investments that could scuttle a project. “A lot of these ideas we're coming up with [in the Agriculture Enterprise Ordinance] are not going to be viable for those of us without big pocketbooks to pay for these upfront costs.”
Image: UC SAREP
