Question: do you enjoy looking after your cows? does any science come into it?

Emma Pilgrim answered on 15 Jun 2010:

Hello

Yes there is a lot of science that goes into this! We used to have a group which looked at the grazing behaviour of the cows to see what they would prefer to eat: rye grass only or a grassland with more clover in it.

There can also be a lot of pollution from a livestock farm as the slurry and manure contains a lot of nitrogen, which unless managed properly can be carried from the grassland through the soil (leaching) into rivers. This can lead to eutrophication, where the excess nitrogen in the rivers encourages algae to grow which then cover the surface of the river. The algal growth will use up a lot of the oxygen in the water causing the other living organisms in it to die.

When cows pass wind or “fart” they also release methane, which is a potent green house gas. So you see there is a lot to having cows on your farm and ensuring that they are managed in such a way that they have a healthy life without damaging the environment