Scientist discovers particular seaweed reduces methane to nearly zero in cow burps, farts.

Scientist discovers particular seaweed reduces methane to nearly zero in cow burps, farts. A P.E.I. farmer has helped lead to a researcher's discovery of an unlikely weapon in the battle against global warming: a seaweed that nearly eliminates the destructive methane content of cow burps and farts. Joe Dorgan began feeding his cattle seaweed from nearby beaches more than a decade ago as a way to cut costs on his farm in Seacow Pond. He was so impressed with the improvements he saw in his herd, he decided to turn the seaweed into a product. "There's a mixture of Irish moss, rockweed and kelp, and just going to waste," he said. "And I knew it was good because years ago, our ancestors, that's what they done their business with." The agricultural scientist, then at Dalhousie University, helped test Dorgan's seaweed mix, and discovered it reduced the methane in the cows' burps and farts by about 20 per cent. Kinley knew he was on to something, so he did further testing with 30 to 40 other seaweeds. That led him to a red seaweed Asparagopsis taxiformis he says reduces methane in cows burps and farts to almost nothing.

FOOD SECURITY.

Food security refers to the availability of food in required quantities,quality and the ease of access. The accessibility can be categorized on basis of affordability, availability and ease of purchase. 

The onus of food security is on producers,their rate of production coupled with the price has a lot of impact on the way food is accessed. 

 The agricultural sector is weighed down by so many factors that makes production unstable and inaccessible.

These factors are: 

 1) Inadequate land for growing crops and rearing livestock.

 2) Cost of production . 

3)Storage /processing 

4) Transportation. 

 Land is the basic capital needed for production,hence the value it adds to production cost cannot be overemphasized.

The production of food to cater for the growing population can only be achieved if other methods of production are practiced. 

 Food security will entail using innovative measures to produce crops and rear animals.The use of genetics hampers on this production methods by using seed improvement and modified seeds and also new planting techniques such as hydroponics.

This will not only ensure a rapid harvest but also reduce the cost of production as many crops can be planted in a column in smaller spaces. 

 The issue of using genetically superior breeds also valuable in livestock,if superior breeds are reared more products will be accessed from them within a shorter time at reduced cost of production.

 Feeding accounts for about 75% of production cost,thus if cheaper methods of feeding are embraced then more products will be available.

The use of fodder system is a good initiative with health benefits not only for the animals but also for man. 

The inclusion of greens into diet such as water hyacinth,seaweeds and even watermelon has shown increase body weight within a short time .The use of insects and worms also have added benefits to growth and development of the animals.

 Feed fermentation is also another method to reduce cost of feeding as the animal will require about 1/2 of the original ration in fermented form,and also the feed will be a source of probiotics thus maintaining intestinal health and preventing diseases which invariably reduces costs as antibiotic inclusion is not necessary.Substitution of local feed stuff in feed rations also reduce cost.

Fermentation in poultry feed results in bigger eggs with thick shells and chicken with bigger carcass weight. 

   Storage and processing methods also play a role in food security, with better processing techniques more food will be stored and less food lost and discarded as waste.    Innovations such as extraction/extrusion machines, milling machines, klins for drying e.t.c coupled with proper packaging and storage will extend shelve-life of products.

 Transportation: this factor can hinder all other factors of production if the products need to travel long distances before they are available for sale.This can be adjusted by strategic locations of production points near markets.

  The transportation chain must provide easy access from farm to stores or from farm to processing and storage centers. The growing population will require innovations to ensure that more food is produced,its readily available and affordable.

SEAWEEDS IN PIG DIET; THE EFFECT ON HEALTH AND MEAT.

A recent scientific overview points to their role as additives for their potential effects for pig health and meat quality.The researchers start off by diving a little bit in history. In the 19th and early 20th centuries in Gotland (Sweden), pigs were fed with a mixture of boiled brown algae F. vesiculosus and cereal meal. A similar use was reported in 1980 in Loch Feochan (Scotland, UK), where boiled or raw brown algae Pelvetia species were fed with oatmeal to fatten pigs. Nowadays, seaweeds are fed as additives in low amounts (1-2%) for their potential benefits for pig health and meat quality. Seaweeds as a iodine source, In regions where part of the population suffers from iodine deficiency, the use of seaweeds in pig feeding has been proposed to increase iodine concentration in pig meat, as the organic iodine found in seaweeds such as Laminaria or Ascophyllum is readily metabolized and stored in the pig muscle, unlike inorganic iodine, as was demonstrated in 2010. Feeding pigs with a diet containing 2% of dried A. nodosum (the seaweed-based diet contained 10 mg/kg of iodine vs 1 mg/kg for the control diet) increased the concentration of iodine in animal tissues by 2.7-6.8, depending on the tissue. This feeding strategy for producing iodine-enriched meat was found to be an easily controllable contribution to human iodine supply, without risk for overdosing or the need for shift in eating pattern, but this contribution was considered insufficient to solve the actual iodine deficiency at country level in Belgium, as was described in 2009. Seaweeds and seaweed extracts have been shown to have prebiotic effects and to enhance immune function in pigs, and have been assessed as potential antibiotic replacers in pigs. For instance, laminarin and fucoidan extracted from Laminaria species were found to improve piglet performance, with laminarin being the main source for gut health and performance improvements, which was reported in 2009 and 2010. The inclusion of seaweeds as a feed additive,not only has probiotic effect ,but results in production of pork of better quality. Story (culled from materials in the animal feed science and technology.)