Some dairy farmers in Vermont have decided to change the diet of their cows in order to participate actively in the fight against global warming. By focusing on foods rich in omega 3, they can significantly reduce methane emissions from their flocks.

While the methane emitted by ruminants during digestion constitutes 2% of greenhouse gases in the United States, some farmers such as Tim and Kristen Maikshilo Dellert, organic milk producers have decided to replace soybean and corn content in the diet of their cows by seeds and herbs rich in omega 3 such as flax and alfalfa.

The Innovation Center of the U.S. dairy industry takes the problem of emissions very seriously and tries to find a way to reduce them to meet the objective it set itself: to reduce 25% emissions of greenhouse gas by the sector by 2020. Such a reduction is equivalent to removing 1.5 million cars off the road each year from the U.S. states, says Rick Nackzi, vice president of Dairy Management, an organization that promotes dairy products.

Using flax seed, alfalfa and grass instead of corn and soybeans, to feed ruminants, would “rebalance” the first pocket of the stomach and thus reduce the production of gases emitted during the digestion, says Nancy Hirschberg who directs the Program “greener cow” for the dairy company Stonyfield Farm.

With the modification of feeding their cows, Tim and Kristen Maikshilo Dellert saw the reduction of methane emission in their herd by 13%.

Fifteen of Vermont dairy farms are now working with Stonyfield Farm, whose majority share is owned by Danone, to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases.