From weeds to wonder: seaweed supplementation in cattle feed reduces methane emissions by up to 80%
SANTA CRUZ, CA - As golden light clings to the grooves of Santa Cruz’s luscious kelp beds, hundreds of surfers eagerly charge into budding white water to join the morning lineup. Though their eyes remain transfixed on the horizon for incoming swell, the aquatic universe kaleidoscoping beneath the scattered rows of dangling bootie-covered feet often goes unnoticed by the surface-dwelling wave seekers above.
But for Ian O’Hollaren, the founder of wild seaweed harvesting company Seaquoia, the mysterious underwater world of the kelp forest is just another day in the office. O’Hollaren is just one of the many seaweed experts in the western world foraging a path towards the mass utilisation of seaweed.
Producing innovative products from regenerating seaweed fertilizers to kelp supplements that reach far beyond the confines of sushi rolls, the ocean fanatic joins seaweed industry pioneers in finding a surprising beneficiary: cows.
Incorporating red seaweed (Asparagopsis Taxiformis) supplementation into cattle feed reduces Steer methane emissions from up to 80%, a recent UC Davis study finds.
Animal agriculture is responsible for around 14.5% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Methane, a gas 24 to 34 times more potent than carbon dioxide, is released from cows via a digestive process called ‘Enteric Fermentation.’
The rumen, one of the cow’s many stomachs, breaks down plant materials via microbial fermentation and releases methane as a byproduct through belches. Many red seaweeds are rich in enzyme inhibitors such as bromoform and short-chain nitro compounds that directly prevent methane generation in the final stages of production.
Findings show some cow methane emissions were reduced by 98%, suggesting strong support for the rapid development of emerging seaweed industries. Places like Australia and California are just starting to gain momentum in seizing the ample opportunities that seaweed cultivation provides on a large scale.
“I’ve seen it build in the last seven years,” O’Hollaren said. “It’s gone through ups and downs of high demand. But you learn from them. You’re not just making something because you think it’s cool or you need to get rid of your product. You’re looking at what society actually wants and how you can help people with it.”
In Australia, there is an enormous potential for the seaweed industry to benefit its people and the planet. As of 2020, the fragmented industry’s 1,613 hectares of ocean leased farms and four land-based facilities raked in an approximated gross value of production (GVP) of $3 million, according to the Australian Seaweed Institute’s blueprint for the industry.
In hopes to dramatically expand the industry by 2025, the Australian Seaweed Institute outlined marketable products in addition to seaweed-based cattle feed, including food and nutrition, cosmetics, biofertilizers, bioplastics, and ocean health remedies.
“It’s fun to see where society is taking it,” O’Hollaren said. “We are transitioning to using regenerative plants and byproducts of the industry to turn things into something that’s better for the planet.”
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization recently partnered with a new company, FutureFeed, to further research the effects of seaweed-based animal feed. Although the results are consistently promising in reducing methane emission, many regenerative agriculturalists express concern over the implications of developing a seaweed-based cattle feed.
Doniga Markegard runs a regenerative grass-fed cattle ranch with her family in Half Moon Bay, California. Taking a holistic approach to cattle management, Markegard ensures that her beef is free-range and actively contributes to long-term climate solutions.
“If we are raising cattle to mimic the grazing herds that once grazed these grasslands,” said Markegard, “there is incredible potential to actually sequester carbon, not just reduce emissions that livestock creates.”
Grasslands are a reliable carbon sink, holding the potential to sequester around three gigatons of carbon from the atmosphere each year. Although seaweed supplements in cattle feed point to a carbon-neutral agricultural future, it could be a temporary fix for a more significant issue at play.
“It’s still not addressing the root problem of animals in a feedlot eating GMO corn and soy that is raised in a very degenerative way,” Markegard said. “Everybody is celebrating this, but we need to look at the root cause and look at restoring ecological cycles.”
The call for more big-picture solutions seems to echo throughout the seaweed farming community. Suzie Flores manages Stonington Kelp Company in Connecticut alongside her husband. Their sugar kelp farm sneaks its way into countless seaweed recipes, but it is not the revenue that pushes her to forge her way into uncharted territories.
“The ocean is left better every year than when I bring my farm in,” said Flores. “Even if there is no one who wants to eat or wants to fund it, I am still sequestering carbon and nitrogen out of the atmosphere.”
Though seaweed-based cattle additives are still under research, the marine plant contains climate solutions that thrive outside farmlands. Through the power of photosynthesis, seaweed fights ocean acidification and pulls carbon from the atmosphere. An estimated 200 million tonnes of carbon are sequestered by seaweed each year globally.
Many remain hopeful that seaweed-based solutions retain benefits for sequestering carbon and mitigating emissions. As the climate crisis continues to accelerate, each new innovation has the potential to change how humans interact with the natural world.
“I think we need a shift in the mind of humanity,” said O’Hollaren. “We are not playing it safe anymore. This is what works. This is what can sustain life. It is good for not only humans and the environment, but the ecosystem as a whole.”
