While it makes for endless dad jokes, it’s a myth that cow farts cause global warming.
Cows actually burp out methane as their complex ruminant digestive systems break down plant materials, explains Dr. Sara Place, an animal scientist with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.
Critics often cite global averages to suggest that cattle are one of the biggest emitters of greenhouse gas, but those figures don’t tell the whole story, Place says.
Research shows that
removing all livestock and poultry from the U.S. alone would only reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 0.36 percent.Specifically, cattle farming in the United States is the most environmentally friendly and sustainable in the world, she says.
In the last 40 years, the U.S. cattle herd has shrunk by one-third, yet U.S. farmers are producing more beef today than they did in the 1970s, Place notes.
We're also reducing emissions within the dairy industry, too. In 1950, the U.S. had 25 million dairy cows. Today, we only have 9 million. The herd has shrunk drastically, but with those 9 million cows we are producing 60% more milk, according to Dr. Frank Mitloehner of U.C. Davis.
That means that the dairy industry’s carbon footprint is down by two-thirds in the U.S. since 1950. That’s a substantial reduction in carbon dioxide and methane emissions. Fewer cows means fewer cow burps (and cow farts).
https://www.iowafarmbureau.com/Article/Question-Do-cow-farts-really-contribute-to-global-warming