Cows on the Planet

Dr. Tim Mcallister, Dr. Kim Stanford, Dr. Kim Ominski

Science-based information on beef, cattle, and their environmental impact. Check out our facebook page in the link below for more on our podcast! www.facebook.com/Cows.on.the.Planet

  1. Cows of the Future

    03/31/2023

    Cows of the Future

    Join Tim and Kim and Dr. Francis Fluharty of the University of Georgia  as they talk about changes in cattle over the past 60 years, whether these changes can be sustained in the future, and the desirability of selecting for cows that are excellent swimmers for future floods.  References Herrero, M., & Thornton, P. K. (2013). Livestock and global change: Emerging issues for sustainable food systems. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(52), 20878–20881. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1321844111 Lamm, K. W., Randall, N. L., & Fluharty, F. L. (2021). Critical issues facing the animal and food industry: A Delphi analysis. Translational Animal Science, 5(1), txaa213. https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txaa213 Nicol, C. J. (2021). A Grand Challenge for Animal Science: Multiple Goals – Convergent and Divergent. Frontiers in Animal Science, 2, 640503. https://doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2021.640503 Nielsen, M. S. W., & Bergfeld, E. (2003). Critical perspectives in animal agriculture: A response. Journal of Animal Science, 81(11), 2908–2911. https://doi.org/10.2527/2003.81112908x Rioja-Lang, F. C., Connor, M., Bacon, H. J., Lawrence, A. B., & Dwyer, C. M. (2020). Prioritization of Farm Animal Welfare Issues Using Expert Consensus. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 6, 495. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2019.00495 Schillo, K. K. (2003). Critical perspectives of animal agriculture: Introduction1,2. Journal of Animal Science, 81(11), 2880–2886. https://doi.org/10.2527/2003.81112880x

    30 min
  2. Kiwi cows and the BURP tax

    03/07/2023

    Kiwi cows and the BURP tax

    Join Tim and Kim as they visit with Mark Aspin, Manager of the Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Consortium in New Zealand.  Much discussion of burps, farts and levies for ruminant-produced greenhouse gasses ensues.  References  Buddle, Bryce M., Michel Denis, Graeme T. Attwood, Eric Altermann, Peter H. Janssen, Ron S. Ronimus, Cesar S. Pinares-Patiño, Stefan Muetzel, and D. Neil Wedlock. “Strategies to Reduce Methane Emissions from Farmed Ruminants Grazing on Pasture.” The Veterinary Journal 188, no. 1 (April 2011): 11–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2010.02.019. Animals. “Can You Tax a Cow’s Burps? New Zealand Will Be the First to Try.,” November 17, 2022. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/can-you-tax-a-cows-burps-new-zealand-will-be-the-first-to-try. Corlett, Eva. “Nineteen Years after the ‘Fart Tax’, New Zealand’s Farmers Are Fighting Emissions.” The Guardian, November 12, 2022, sec. World news. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/12/19-years-after-the-fart-tax-new-zealands-farmers-are-fighting-emissions. González-Recio, O., J. López-Paredes, L. Ouatahar, N. Charfeddine, E. Ugarte, R. Alenda, and J.A. Jiménez-Montero. “Mitigation of Greenhouse Gases in Dairy Cattle via Genetic Selection: 2. Incorporating Methane Emissions into the Breeding Goal.” Journal of Dairy Science 103, no. 8 (August 2020): 7210–21. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2019-17598. Hayek, Matthew N, and Scot M Miller. “Underestimates of Methane from Intensively Raised Animals Could Undermine Goals of Sustainable Development.” Environmental Research Letters 16, no. 6 (June 1, 2021): 063006. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac02ef. Hickey, Sharon M., Wendy E. Bain, Timothy P. Bilton, Gordon J. Greer, Sara Elmes, Brooke Bryson, Cesar S. Pinares-Patiño, et al. “Impact of Breeding for Reduced Methane Emissions in New Zealand Sheep on Maternal and Health Traits.” Frontiers in Genetics 13 (September 30, 2022): 910413. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2022.910413. McGregor, Andrew, Lauren Rickards, Donna Houston, Michael K. Goodman, and Milena Bojovic. “The Biopolitics of Cattle Methane Emissions Reduction: Governing Life in a Time of Climate Change.” Antipode 53, no. 4 (July 2021): 1161–85. https://doi.org/10.1111/anti.12714. Press ·, The Associated. “New Zealand’s Plan to Tax Cow Burps Condemned by Farmers | CBC News.” CBC, October 11, 2022. https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/new-zealand-proposes-taxing-cow-burps-1.6612302. Smith, Ian. “Farmers Protest against New Zealand’s Proposed ‘Cow Burp Tax.’” euronews, October 20, 2022. https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/10/20/cow-burps-to-be-taxed-under-world-first-proposals-by-new-zealand.

    33 min
  3. Cows, pandemics and climate change

    01/06/2023

    Cows, pandemics and climate change

    Join Tim and Kim as they talk with Dr. Colleen Duncan of Colorado State University and Dr. Katie Steneroden of Iowa State University on potential cow-related pandemics of the future, the role of climate change in pandemics and the need for future fun fashion with hazmat suits in designer colors.  Bibliography Bernstein, A. S., Ando, A. W., Loch-Temzelides, T., Vale, M. M., Li, B. V., Li, H., Busch, J., Chapman, C. A., Kinnaird, M., Nowak, K., Castro, M. C., Zambrana-Torrelio, C., Ahumada, J. A., Xiao, L., Roehrdanz, P., Kaufman, L., Hannah, L., Daszak, P., Pimm, S. L., & Dobson, A. P. (2022). The costs and benefits of primary prevention of zoonotic pandemics. Science Advances, 8(5), eabl4183. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abl4183 Jones, B. A., Grace, D., Kock, R., Alonso, S., Rushton, J., Said, M. Y., McKeever, D., Mutua, F., Young, J., McDermott, J., & Pfeiffer, D. U. (2013). Zoonosis emergence linked to agricultural intensification and environmental change. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(21), 8399–8404. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1208059110 Magouras, I., Brookes, V. J., Jori, F., Martin, A., Pfeiffer, D. U., & Dürr, S. (2020). Emerging Zoonotic Diseases: Should We Rethink the Animal–Human Interface? Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 7, 582743. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2020.582743 McDaniel, C. J., Cardwell, D. M., Moeller, R. B., & Gray, G. C. (2014). Humans and Cattle: A Review of Bovine Zoonoses. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, 14(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1089/vbz.2012.1164 Meurens, F., Dunoyer, C., Fourichon, C., Gerdts, V., Haddad, N., Kortekaas, J., Lewandowska, M., Monchatre-Leroy, E., Summerfield, A., Wichgers Schreur, P. J., van der Poel, W. H. M., & Zhu, J. (2021). Animal board invited review: Risks of zoonotic disease emergence at the interface of wildlife and livestock systems. Animal, 15(6), 100241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2021.100241 Petrovan, S. O., Aldridge, D. C., Bartlett, H., Bladon, A. J., Booth, H., Broad, S., Broom, D. M., Burgess, N. D., Cleaveland, S., Cunningham, A. A., Ferri, M., Hinsley, A., Hua, F., Hughes, A. C., Jones, K., Kelly, M., Mayes, G., Radakovic, M., Ugwu, C. A., … Sutherland, W. J. (2021). Post COVID‐19: A solution scan of options for preventing future zoonotic epidemics. Biological Reviews, 96(6), 2694–2715. https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12774 PREVENTING THE NEXT PANDEMIC: Zoonotic diseases and how to break the chain of transmission. (n.d.).

    31 min
  4. Can we eat our way out of climate change?

    10/31/2022

    Can we eat our way out of climate change?

    Join Tim and Kim as they talk with Dr. Frank Mitloehner of UC Davis about how dietary choices affect green house gasses, teaching children to cook, and the need for better-looking scientists among other things. Bibliography Almiron, N., & Zoppeddu, M. (2015). Eating Meat and Climate Change: The Media Blind Spot—A Study of Spanish and Italian Press Coverage. Environmental Communication, 9(3), 307–325. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2014.953968 Amundson, R. (2022). Negative emissions in agriculture are improbable in the near future. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(12), e2118142119. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2118142119 González, N., Marquès, M., Nadal, M., & Domingo, J. L. (2020). Meat consumption: Which are the current global risks? A review of recent (2010–2020) evidences. Food Research International, 137, 109341. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2020.109341 Pitesky, M. E., Stackhouse, K. R., & Mitloehner, F. M. (2009). Clearing the Air. In Advances in Agronomy (Vol. 103, pp. 1–40). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2113(09)03001-6 Raiten, D. J., Allen, L. H., Slavin, J. L., Mitloehner, F. M., Thoma, G. J., Haggerty, P. A., & Finley, J. W. (2020). Understanding the Intersection of Climate/Environmental Change, Health, Agriculture, and Improved Nutrition: A Case Study on Micronutrient Nutrition and Animal Source Foods. Current Developments in Nutrition, 4(7), nzaa087. https://doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzaa087

    32 min
  5. Grass-fed Beef

    10/07/2022

    Grass-fed Beef

    Join Tim and Kim as they talk with Dr. Sarah Klopatek of UC Davis and learn all the chewy bits of her recent comprehensive study on grass-fed beef economics, meat quality, and environmental impacts.  Bibliography Davis, H., Magistrali, A., Butler, G., & Stergiadis, S. (2022). Nutritional Benefits from Fatty Acids in Organic and Grass-Fed Beef. Foods, 11(5), 646. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11050646 Geiker, N. R. W., Bertram, H. C., Mejborn, H., Dragsted, L. O., Kristensen, L., Carrascal, J. R., Bügel, S., & Astrup, A. (2021). Meat and Human Health—Current Knowledge and Research Gaps. Foods, 10(7), 1556. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10071556 Klopatek, S. C., Marvinney, E., Duarte, T., Kendall, A., Yang, X. (Crystal), & Oltjen, J. W. (2022a). Grass-fed vs. grain-fed beef systems: Performance, economic, and environmental trade-offs. Journal of Animal Science, 100(2), skab374. https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skab374 Klopatek, S. C., Marvinney, E., Duarte, T., Kendall, A., Yang, X. (Crystal), & Oltjen, J. W. (2022b). Grass-fed vs. grain-fed beef systems: Performance, economic, and environmental trade-offs. Journal of Animal Science, 100(2), skab374. https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skab374 Klopatek, S. C., & Oltjen, J. W. (2022). How advances in animal efficiency and management have affected beef cattle’s water intensity in the United States: 1991 compared to 2019. Journal of Animal Science, skac297. https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skac297 Provenza, F. D., Kronberg, S. L., & Gregorini, P. (2019). Is Grassfed Meat and Dairy Better for Human and Environmental Health? Frontiers in Nutrition, 6, 26. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2019.00026 Tichenor, N. E., Peters, C. J., Norris, G. A., Thoma, G., & Griffin, T. S. (2017). Life cycle environmental consequences of grass-fed and dairy beef production systems in the Northeastern United States. Journal of Cleaner Production, 142, 1619–1628. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.11.138 Turner, T. D., Jensen, J., Pilfold, J. L., Prema, D., Donkor, K. K., Cinel, B., Thompson, D. J., Dugan, M. E. R., & Church, J. S. (2015). Comparison of fatty acids in beef tissues from conventional, organic and natural feeding systems in western Canada. Canadian Journal of Animal Science, 95(1), 49–58. https://doi.org/10.4141/cjas-2014-113

    31 min

Ratings & Reviews

2.7
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Science-based information on beef, cattle, and their environmental impact. Check out our facebook page in the link below for more on our podcast! www.facebook.com/Cows.on.the.Planet