Ethanol Blog

Ethanol Co-Products Aid in Lower Footprint of Animal Production

Cheryl Anderson
By  Cheryl Anderson , DTN Staff Reporter

Every beef production operation can be sustainable, no matter the size or breed of the herd, Jude Capper, Montana livestock consultant, said at a recent beef conference. Capper added that being sustainable is not only for organic, grass-fed or local operations, according to an article for AgriNews (http://bit.ly/…).

While livestock operations are a frequent target for environmental activists, Capper said she believes the beef industry is making great progress in becoming more and more sustainable. In fact, Capper reported that according to data from the Environmental Protection Agency, animal agriculture only accounts for 2.1% of the total carbon footprint, much lower than earlier estimates.

P[L1] D[0x0] M[300x250] OOP[F] ADUNIT[] T[]

One way that footprint is reduced is from the feeding of distillers grains, a valuable and nutritious feedstuff that would have a huge carbon cost if put into landfills. Also, beef producers can turn land unfit to grow crops into pastureland.

Capper also said that because of improvements in breeding, feed and care for animals, it took about five animals in 1977 to make the same amount of beef as four animals in 2007. Also, days to slaughter have decreased during that time, from about 609 days in 1977 to 485 days in 2007. That decrease saves about 124 days of feed, land, water, greenhouse gases and energy, she said.

Cheryl Anderson can be reached at Cheryl.anderson@dtn.com.

(ES)

P[] D[728x170] M[320x75] OOP[F] ADUNIT[] T[]
P[L2] D[728x90] M[320x50] OOP[F] ADUNIT[] T[]

Comments

To comment, please Log In or Join our Community .

melvin meister
2/17/2015 | 10:01 PM CST
Growing yearlings for corporate feedlots is not very economical, they displace cow calf operations which is at an all time low.Get your facts straight.