Breeding Better Cows for a Hotter Planet

Contemplating a world in which you cannot consume cheese is grim. But knowing the impact that that wedge of bloomy-shroomy Camembert calling your name has on the earth’s atmosphere is also cause for concern. Consider this: Methane is the second-largest contributor to climate warming after carbon dioxide, responsible for an estimated 30% of global warming since pre-industrial times, according to the U.N. Methane emissions are driven by agriculture and livestock. Manure and what scientists often delicately describe as gastroenteric releases (farts for the layperson) account for about 32% of those emissions, the U.N. reports.

The Methane Problem

The gastric excretions of cows—and to a lesser extent sheep and goats—is a serious problem exacerbating climate change. But climate change is disrupting dairy farming and reducing production performance—meaning more cows are required to produce the same amount of milk. This of course creates a potential doom loop of dairy production contributing to climate change, which then causes more dairy animals needed for the same amount of milk, which means more methane.

A daunting conundrum that can’t be ignored.

Thankfully, scientists and breeders are working to create more climate resistant dairy producing animals, and finding ways to nix some of those methane-producing evacuations.

More Naturally Productive and Climate Resistant Breeds

Mature Raramuri Criollo cow, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Looking for climate-resistant breeds is going to be crucial as the planet heats up. A recent study from the University of Jerusalem looking at the effects of climate change shows that in just a few decades, the average milk production of cows could be reduced by 4% due to heat stress, and in extreme cases, by up to 10%.

Heat can also be deadly: thousands of cattle in Kansas died during an extreme heat wave in Kansas in 2022. Last year, heat-related diseases killed and slashed production at farms across California.

Certain rare, ancient breeds of dairy animals—many of which were dismissed by large-scale ranchers in favor of higher-production, easier to manage breeds—are being re-introduced to pastures.

Criollo cattle, for example, are being studied across the world by scientists in Brazil, the U.S., German and the U.K. for their ability to thrive in warmer climates. Criollo cattle have lived primarily in Latin America for centuries, having been brought there from Spain on Christopher Columbus’ second voyage in 1493.

Colonial Williamsburg has also, unintentionally at first, been conducting a large-scale examination of rare breeds facing extinction.

“We started the program in 1986 to provide an accurate representation of life and work in the 18th century,” says Darin Durham, an animal husbandman at Colonial Williamsburg. “But we also saw it as an opportunity to preserve rare breeds. Along the way, we’ve discovered that many of the animals we work with thrive in tough climatic conditions.”

Pair of Milking Devons, credit Sean, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

One of the breeds the program is helping to resuscitate is the American Milking Devon. These red cattle originated in Devon, England and were prized by 17th century colonialists for their ability to work farm fields, produce milk and provide a steady source of meat.

These hardy triple-threats (work-milk-meat) could thrive in poor conditions, and didn’t require lush grazing lands to produce milk. Over the centuries though, they were largely abandoned as farmers mechanized and pursued breeds that “specialized” in either dairy or meat production.

Farming is cyclical though, and changes as the market and climate demands.

“We’ve been finding increasing interest from dairy farmers because Devon’s produce high-fat milk with about 5% butterfat content, which is great for making cheese and butter,” Durham says. “And they can produce that on poor forage. Their conversion rate is just incredibly high.”

Sturdy animals capable of producing artisanal-quality dairy in tough conditions will be increasingly important amid climate change.

Breeding Techniques

Crossbreeding has long been used to improve the quality of livestock, but now it is also being used as a strategy to combat the effects of climate change. According to an article in Frontiers in Veterinary Science, beginning in the 1940s, Brazilian farmers began crossing Gyr cattle with the Holstein, in order to produce a phenotype with better thermal tolerance and production capability.

Goot Essa cheese shop sign — Goot Essa cheese shop

In the US, cheese producers like Amish farmer John Esh of Goot Essa say using old-fashioned observation and breeding techniques has been a low-tech way to ensure his line of goats, sheep and cows can withstand hotter and drier conditions better than they could in previous generations.

“We watch genetic traits such as feet and leg shape to help with mobility tend to make a difference with the animals moving to a cooler part of the barn or pasture in search of shade,” he says.

Esh also looks for lighter colored animals that appear to adjust to higher temperatures naturally when breeding the next generation.

“We’ve been breeding out animals to be more heat resistant,” he says. “They have lower stress levels, longer lives. Happy cows produce better milk, which makes better cheese.

With a population of 10 billion people expected soon on planet earth—and hopefully many cheese lovers among them—we’re going to need a better way to ranch these animals in a changing climate.

Because a world without cheese? Much less tasty.