September’s Food for thought…

• Cattle Industry commits to carbon neutrality by 2040
• Dairy crucial to children’s health
• Cows toilet trained to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• World Milk Day success

Cattle Industry commits to Carbon Neutrality by 2040 - from NCBA - the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association announced their commitment to U.S cattle sustainability goals.  Read the article or click here for more details of the U.S cattle industry sustainability goals.

Dairy crucial to children’s health - from Dairy Farmer, New Zealand - the article outlines the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) study which shows the importance dairy products play in the growth and development of children.  It is estimated that one million children die each year from acute malnutrition, which could be prevented by the use of ready to use therapeutic foods (RUFT).  A statement from WHO confirmed that 50% of the proteins in RUFT could come from dairy products.  Read the full article

Cows toilet trained to reduce greenhouse gas emissions - from the BBC News.  Dubbed the “MooLoo” scientists at the Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology in Germany trained 16 calves to use a specific pen area to urinate.  Calves who successfully urinated in the latrine area were rewarded with food.  Ammonia from cows' urine turns into the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide when it's mixed with soil, so collecting the urine in the toilet area enabled it to be treated to prevent this.  Researchers say that capturing 80% of cattle urine in a model like the MooLoo could lead to a 56% reduction in ammonia emissions as well as hygiene benefits to the animals’ living area.  Read the full article 

World Milk Day Success - a round up of 2021’s World Milk Day with over 100 countries taking part. This year’s theme focused on sustainability, which helped showcase dairy’s commitment to innovation in reducing the sector’s environmental footprint.  A wide variety of farmer videos from across the globe demonstrated how the sector is embracing technology to help create a sustainable future for dairy.  To view the activities, click here.