Flatulent cow story is overblown

Friday, April 4, 2014

In late January, news outlets were abuzz with the story of how 90 flatulent cows at a German dairy farm released enough methane gas to blow up their own barn. In fact, manure may have been the culprit.

Reuters reported that the explosion was severe enough to damage the roof of the cow shed and injure one of the cows, that had to be treated for burns. Local police said high levels of methane had built up within the shed, then "a static electric charge caused the gas to explode with flashes of flame."

Naturally, burping and farting cows were blamed. After all, cows can produce 250 to 500 litres of methane per day, according to the Journal of Animal Science. But Modern Farmer magazine says a follow-up report from German newspaper Hünfelder Zeitung points the finger at manure slurry, which can produce high levels of concentrated methane. BF