EAST BOOTHBAY — A Maine marine science lab has received $5 million to further research into whether seaweed-based food can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cows.
Bigelow Laboratory has been working in recent years on whether the feed supplements can help cut emissions of methane at cattle operations. Methane emissions, which happen when cows belch, contribute to climate change.
The laboratory said the grant is from the Shelby Cullom Davis Charitable Fund and it will build on a project that began in 2019.
Nichole Price, a senior research scientist at Bigelow Laboratory and the project leader, said the funding will help scientists apply their work in a way that is feasible on a global scale.
The lab said it has had success in feed trials with individual herds. One of the biggest questions is how the supplement can be produced in large enough quantities and at a reasonable enough cost to make a dent in worldwide farming operations.
Price said new parts of the project will “complement our existing search for the right seaweed solution and enable us to look into some creative ways that we can use what we’re learning to actually solve this global problem.”
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