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20 million dollar study on farm animals gasses - 2007/06/28 10:03
From the drudge report;
How Farm Odors Contribute to Global Warming: New Research Happening in NYS
Corning, N.Y. -- You can definitely smell it, but you can't see it.
The United States Department of Agriculture has released reports stating that when you smell cow manure, you're also smelling greenhouse gas emissions.
That will be the focus of new research happening right here in the Southern Tier.
Agriculture Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, Mark Rey, was in Corning Wednesday morning at the Big Flats Plant Materials Center to annouce the award of nearly $20 million in Conservation Innovation Grants to fund 51 research projects across the country designed to refine new technologies helping dairy and other agricultural producers cut back on their greenhouse emissions and cash in on governmental incentives for the research.
One million dollars of those grants will come to New York State.
The U.S.D.A. is now taking applications from large dairy farms across the state who want to participate.
Dairy farmer Dave Boor says his small, 100-cow operation in Horseheads is hit hard every year with costly environmental regulations he has a hard time affording.
Boor says he hopes the new research will shed light on the issue, perhaps finding that small farms shouldn't have to face the same regulations larger farms do.
"In many cases with some of the smaller farms where maybe it isn't significant, perhaps some of these mandates won't be pushed on the small farmers that are already teetering on the bank of closing down," said Boor.
The U.S.D.A. reports that cow and hog manure produce methane, which is a greenhouse gas.
The main focus of the grant-funded research in New York State would be to tarp off areas where farmers dump cow manure, commonly called manure lagoons. Researchers would then prevent those gases from entering the atmosphere, measure how many units are produced, and farmers would receive cash incentives, called "Carbon Credits," for each unit produced. They would also receive annual payments for use of their properties.
"It helps them meet some environmental regulatory requirements, and at the same time helps them generate some income," said Under Secretary Mark Rey.
Dairy farmer Bob Aman runs a large dairy farm in Candor, with more than 500 cows. He says he is eager to participate, both to reduce emissions and improve the smell surrounding his property.
"Obviously when we're spreading manure and spraying, you can smell the emissions, right?" said Aman. "This would definitely help correct some of that."
The U.S.D.A. can accept up to eight dairy farms for participation in the research across New York State. They are still processing applications.
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