Pass The Pulses, Not The Gas

Beans, beans the magical fruit… That schoolyard chant has a ring of truth to it. The scientists call it “the perceived negative consequences of fitting pulses into the diet.” True, lots of beans or any other pulse eaten in one go will very likely have unpleasant after-effects, researchers say. But eaten in moderation, pulses don’t

Whole-systems analysis needed

Laura Rance’s column “Publicity stunt or junk science?” in the Oct. 30 Manitoba Co-operator raises a point about catchy headlines versus the central message. The National Centre for Livestock and the Environment (NCLE) is a team of research scientists dedicated to strengthening the environmental sustainability of animal production systems. Through sound and thorough scientific investigations,


Publicity stunt or junk science?

The press release from the University of Manitoba’s National Centre for Livestock and the Environment last week spoke volumes. Unfortunately, it said very little about science. It said a lot about sensationalism and just how politicized science has become. “WHEN IT COMES TO FEEDING COWS, GRASS IS NOT GREENER – GRAIN IS,” the boldface, capitalized

Study measures methane in belching

“What we want to find out is, what is the safe level of corn to supplement without having to compromise the productivity of the cow, and what happens to methane.” – ERMI AS KEBREAB Less methane is belched into the atmosphere by grain-fed cattle, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to lower greenhouse gas reduction. A