Livestock farmers can reduce their emissions by potty-train cows where to pee.
Training cows where to pee might look useless and boring but in a new study, scientists proved that it is possible and it can be beneficial for both environment and farmers.
16 German cows were the case of this study. The team used a fenced area with artificial turf flooring as bathroom.
Every time the caw peed in the place they got rewarded with a treat. Each cow had 45 minutes of bathroom training per day and within 10 days they had 11 out of 16 potty-trained cows.
Matthews a team member of the study noted that “the remaining cows are probably trainable too but we didn’t have enough time”
Teaching cows where to pee and collecting their urine can stop pollution of air, soil and water. Other researchers estimate that if 80 percent of cow urine went into latrines, ammonia emissions from cow pee would drop by half.
Nitrogen and other components of that urine could be used to make fertilizers as well.
Sources :
Photo : Farm Animal Biology
Looking back on my two decades in this field, I’m still as committed as ever to telling important stories and getting people to care about the Earth. Outside of writing, I work with Environmental groups that are trying to make things better for the environment and have a positive impact.
