"We expect by 2050 there is going to be a 300 percent increase in beef demand in Asia," said Ermias Kebreab, a professor of animal science and director of the UC Davis World Food Center. That may be critical going forward as demand for meat is rising in developing countries. Researchers at UC Davis have projects in Vietnam, Ethiopia and Burkina Faso to boost livestock productivity through better nutrition. Professor and air quality specialist Frank Mitloehner sits in a trailer at the UC Davis dairy barn examining real-time greenhouse gas emission data coming from cows. “If you have hundreds of millions of cattle to achieve a dismal amount of product, then that comes with a high environmental footprint,” Mitloehner said. In addition, cows in tropical regions produce less milk and meat, so it takes them longer to get to market. As a result, cows live longer and emit more methane over their lifetime. India, for example, has the world’s largest cattle population, but the lowest beef consumption of any country. Livestock are responsible for 14.5 percent of global greenhouse gases. Shrinking livestock’s carbon hoofprint worldwide is a big challenge. “We’re now feeding more people with fewer cattle,” Mitloehner said. At the same time, those 90 million cattle are producing more meat. In the 1970s, 140 million head of cattle were needed to meet demand. Cows and other ruminants account for just 4 percent of all greenhouse gases produced in the United States, he said, and beef cattle just 2 percent of direct emissions.īetter breeding, genetics and nutrition have increased the efficiency of livestock production in the U.S.
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