Discovery 'bit of a shocker'

Photo: Contributed

A P.E.I. dairy farmer's attempt to save money on feed — he fed his cows seaweed from a nearby beach — has led to a discovery that could bring a substantial reduction in greenhouse gases worldwide.

A researcher found the seaweed reduced the methane in the cows' burps and farts, a key contributor to climate change.

"Considering that agriculture is one of the big contributors to the global greenhouse gas inventory, it's pretty huge," said agricultural scientist Rob Kinley.

More than 10 years ago, Joe Dorgan was a dairy farmer in Seacow Pond, near the northwestern tip of the province, with many of his cows grazing near the shore.

He decided to convert to an organic dairy farm and, as a way to save money, he started feeding seaweed to the cows as their source of minerals and vitamins.

"You live right on the beach here and our ancestors used seaweed for everything, for their animals, for their fertilizer, the whole thing," he said.

The seaweed is plentiful and washes up on the local beaches where it is gathered using rakes hauled by horses.

"This is 100 per cent natural. As the storms toss it ashore on the beach, we gather it, dry it, process it and feed it," he said.

Dorgan said the seaweed-fed cows were healthier and produced more milk. That's when the light went on and he saw a business opportunity.

He sold his herd, and sought to get his seaweed product approved by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for sale to other farmers.

Kinley, then at Dalhousie University's faculty of Agriculture in Truro, N.S., was asked to test the animal feed that Dorgan was producing.

Kinley discovered that the product reduced the methane in the cows' gaseous output by about 20 per cent.