Kersbergen speaks with WMTW about cow diet, greenhouse gas research

Richard Kersbergen, a University of Maine Cooperative Extension professor based in Waldo County, spoke with WMTW (Channel 8 in Portland) about research looking at the amount of methane gas emitted from cows and the effects on climate change. Through a partnership with Wolfe’s Neck Farm in Freeport and the University of New Hampshire, UMaine researchers are studying how the cow’s diet could cut back on the amount of greenhouse gases they release. “We’re trying to combat the negative impacts of animal agriculture on the environment with positive contributions,” Kersbergen said. The researchers have been feeding the cows seaweed in an attempt to decrease emissions. Even small amounts of dried seaweed introduced into a cow’s diet can cut methane gas by as much as 99 percent, WMTW reported. “We’re trying to improve sustainability of the livestock industry in the Northeast, and adding seaweed to that diet, if that’s one of the components that does it, that’s great,” Kersbergen said. “That’s really what we’re trying to do, is to find a way to improve local resources, whether that’s seaweed, whether that’s a grass crop that they consume or other feed that they’re able to grow in the Northeast.”