Ninety flatulent cows start fire at dairy farm in Germany

[MarPar]

sucks for the farmer, but damn thems is some gassy cows!!

Ninety flatulent cows start fire at dairy farm in Germany

Heather Saul - The Independent (UK)

28 January 2014

The methane gas released by 90 flatulent cows caused an explosion in a farm shed in Germany, damaging the roof and injuring one of the animals, local police said.

In a statement, the force said high levels of the methane gas had built up within the structure in the central German town of Rasdorf on Monday thanks to animals belches and flatulence, before “a static electric charge caused the gas to explode with flashes of flames."

The subsequent blast damaged the roof of the cow shed, Reuters reported. Emergency services who attended the scene took gas readings to check for any potential further blasts.

One of the cows was injured and had to be treated for burns it sustained during the incident, a police spokesman added.

The animals can emit up to 500 litres of the greenhouse gas methane each every day through belching and flatulence. Cows also release large amounts of ammonia.

Additional reporting by Reuters

source url

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...rt-fire-at-dairy-farm-in-germany-9089801.html

 

[super-bee_ski]

Amazing...
Al Gore...? Al Gore....? Anybody..? Al Gore?

 

[1970GTX]

amazing...
Al gore...? Al gore....? Anybody..? Al gore?

lol

 

[lewtot184]

i've heard that the greatest polluters on the planet are termite farts. i've also heard that an elephant passes enough methane gas in a day to power a car for 20 miles.

 

[Budnicks]

Amazing...
Al Gore...? Al Gore....? Anybody..? Al Gore?

OK

 

[MarPar]

Update!!!!!

Imagine that! reporters blowing things out of proportion!! :eusa_liar:

Well That Stinks! Reporters Blow Cow Farts Out Of Proportion

By Julie Hecht | Scientific American

February 13, 2014

Apparently cows are terrorists too. Last month, journalists reported—in what can only be described as a “chicken-run” scenario of cows plotting their big escape—that a herd of dairy cows in central Germany caused an explosion in their housing facility.

Police failed to thwart the plan, as the explosion seemed to be caused by flatulence. Yes, cow farts. According to reporters, static electricity ignited the accumulated methane gas that cows had released through their farts. This was an ingenious plan because methane is a color-less and odor-less gas, making it difficult to detect prior to the explosion. It can only be assumed that the 90 cows in the barn frantically rubbed against one another to create the spark “herd” around the world.

Not cow farts?

The reports, of course, were wrong. The main culprit of this methane whodunit was not the farts. One of the earliest studies looking at methane production in ruminants found that the majority of methane production occurs in the rumen, and that is the piece of the puzzle the reporters missed. All animals classified as ruminants—cattle, sheep, goats, etc.—have a rumen with bacteria responsible for breaking down food. During the break-down process, also called enteric fermentation (say that three times fast), methane is emitted. You might think that what happens in the rumen is released through the cow’s rear door. Not so. 95% of methane in cows is released via eructation. NOT farting.

Eructation (like the word flatulence) is simply a less-offensive way of saying burping. Apparently reporters got a little confused between a cow’s head and a cow’s butt. Easily done. I guess. Although many journalists attributed the explosion to both burping and farting, that really isn’t fair to the cow’s butt, since the main perpetrator is really the cow’s mouth.

A cow burp suit

How do we know all of this? Many methods have been developed to measure methane excretion via burping, but my favorite is the “cow backpack.” Dairy cows are fitted with small gas chambers on their backs, while tubes catch emissions from the nose and mouth. (Is the cow back-pack a formidable competitor for the dog fart suit? Only you can decide).

The problem with tooting

Why are cow burps, and to a much lesser extent cow farts, a problem (aside from the fact that they make for a very rude house guest)? According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, the release of methane gas that occurs during these “rude” habits, combined with decomposition of animal manure, account for 18% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Ouch. It should be noted that there has been considerable debate about this figure since the release of this report in 2006, but the general concern remains. Cattle, by far, are the worst offenders among ruminants, as 6% of their ingested energy is lost via burped methane.

I understand if you feel tricked by the media. Who can bypass a BuzzFeed headline, 90 Cows Exploded A Barn in Germany With Their Farts? But now you know the whole story, and which end of the cow to fear.

article, plus links, references

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com...s-reporters-blow-cow-farts-out-of-proportion/