Moo-ving away from methane: White House grants to curb climate impact of California cow burps
Lowering greenhouse gas emissions includes cleaning up California cow burps. The White House just allocated millions for it.
Two Biden administration grants are sending $21.4 million to California Dairies and $22.8 million to the Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) for feed additives to reduce methane in cow belches. They also offer carbon credits to encourage farmers to participate in climate-focused changes.
Livestock are responsible for about 14.5% of greenhouse gas emissions globally. They also account for half of California’s methane emissions. Contrary to common belief, belching produces more methane than farting as cows digest..
“That cow can take waste, turn it into one of the most nutritional products,” said Melvin Medeiros, a DFA farmer, “and then being able to throw an additive on to lower those emissions on that cow, I think that’s just a win-win for everybody.”
Dairy cooperatives in California, the nation’s largest producer of milk, butter and certain cheeses., have been working with state and federal officials for years on reducing emissions through manure and methane capture projects.
California Dairies is a cooperative with about 300 farms that co-own their processing facilities. DFA has 190 farms in California.
California set a goal of a 40% reduction from 2013 methane levels in the dairy industry by 2030. Some projects capture methane to create renewable electricity and fuels to power homes, vehicles and equipment.
DFA in 2020 pledged to try to reduce emissions by 30% by 2030. Overall, the U.S. dairy industry is aiming for net zero emissions by 2050.
New Zealand and European countries have been using feed additives to try to reduce methane emissions. The additive California Dairies and DFA want to use, Bovaer, is awaiting U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, but the groups hope that it will receive clearance early in 2024.
Both use Athian as their carbon crediting platform, which would offer benefits to farmers making changes on both the manure and digestive methane.
“When they decrease the enteric methane on their farm, and that comes from our belching, they’ll be able to place the carbon credits they generate on a carbon platform for purchase,” said DFA’s Jackie Klippenstein. “So they’ll be able to continue to fund the good work on their farm by receiving benefits for the environmental side effects that they’re creating.”
Darrin Monteiro, vice president of sustainability for California Dairies, said that with this grant, they hope to reduce emissions by 300,000 cubic tons per year. The feed additive aims to cut methane released in the enteric belching process by 30%.
“If we can get 300,000 metric tons of carbon reduced, it’ll be a huge win,” Monteiro said, “and hopefully demonstrate a system for the rest of the country to adopt in reducing methane.”
Importantly, the program for the cooperatives’ farmers is voluntary, he said.
“What we’re noticing on a global scale is farmers are reacting much more aggressively to the climate when there’s a voluntary approach,” Monteiro said. “And that voluntary approach hopefully provides a menu of options.”
The White House grants were part of more than $1 billion announced in Regional Conservation Partnership Program funding to improve conservation and climate-smart agriculture efforts. The effort is in line with President Joe Biden’s broader climate agenda and goal to help rural families stay in agriculture.
Reducing emissions is one way to ensure that the farm land is available for the next generation, and ranchers like Medeiros are in.
Medeiros, who sits on DFA’s Western board, has changed the way his Laton, Calif., dairy farm operates overtime to reduce emissions. He is a second-generation dairy farmer whose family has been in the business for 54 years.
Medeiros’ parents immigrated to California from the Azore Islands. They worked on dairy farms, saving money to get their first herd of cows. His father was killed in an accident with a bull when Medeiros, the youngest of three kids, was nine, leaving his 35-year-old mother who spoke little English to fulfill that dream of building a dairy.
Two years later, she did. Medeiros is grateful for his parents’ sacrifices, making it all the more important for him to continue passing down to his sons. All three work in the dairy industry.
“Our ultimate goal is to pass that ranch on to the next generation because the ranch gave us a better life, gave us the opportunity,” Medeiros said. “And you always want to leave it in better shape than when you receive it.”
This story was originally published November 24, 2023 at 1:20 PM with the headline "Moo-ving away from methane: White House grants to curb climate impact of California cow burps."
