Growing Seaweed for Cattle
Tim Hammerich
News Reporter
Yesterday we reported on how a new variety of seaweed can reduce methane emissions from ruminants by more than 80%. But can we actually grow enough of this seaweed to really make a difference on the 100 million head of cattle that are raised in the United States? The answer is yes, says Blue Ocean Barns CEO Joan Salwen, thanks to new, highly efficient seaweed growing systems.
Salwen… “In order just to supply 100 million cows in the United States, we'd need about 4,000 - 4,500 acres. Which is in the grand scheme of agricultural production, just an incredibly small amount. Like there are lots and lots of Colorado corn farms that are larger than that single plot. So, you know, imagine it's half the size of O'Hare Airport or a fifth of the size of Walt Disney World. You know, it's just not what we had originally feared, which was that we were gonna have to take over the entire ocean and the entire Western United States to be able to produce enough for the cows. But it's not, it's not the case. And that's thanks to a lot of cultivation innovation that we've applied to the growth of the plant.”
Blue Ocean Barns has developed this system in Hawaii, but says it can be replicated in many other parts of the world. They are partnering with food companies who want to reduce the carbon footprint of their dairy supply chain. Learn more at BlueOceanBarns.com.
