September 30, 2009
US researchers study greenhouse gas emissions of dairy cows
Purdue University researchers in Indiana are investigating how much greenhouse gas is coming from dairy cows as part of an industry-wide effort to reduce emissions related to fluid milk production.
An extension release said it will be calculated along with the fuel used by tractors and trucks, as well as electricity consumed by milking machines and refrigerators.
The study is being funded by the Innovation Centre for US Dairy and is one of several studies that will be used to measure the entire carbon footprint of fluid milk - from the farm to the glass. Researchers from the University of California Davis, Cornell University, the University of Minnesota and Washington State University are collaborating on the project.
Carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide will be monitored at five barn sites and two manure lagoons in Indiana, Wisconsin, California, Washington and New York, the release said. Mobile laboratories set up for the National Air Emissions Monitoring Study are being used as well.
Data is to be collected through Jan. 31.
