Monthly Archives: October 2011

Methane is an Organic Alternative

Methane from Cattle

Cattle are a viable source of methane gas.

Got cows? Got plenty of cattle fencing in place to keep them separate and organized? A lot of cattle farmers and ranchers are turning to methane gas production as a viable secondary source of income and by and large it seems to be working. Methane gas is a common chemical compound known by the formula CH4, and it is the simplest alkane in the environment.

It occurs naturally and is often extracted from large natural gas fields but can also be extracted relatively efficiently from solid waste landfills. Increasingly, methane is obtained through the fermentation of organic matter, including cow manure. It’s the ideal scenario for a large-scale cattle farmer because in addition to providing a secondary income stream, it helps to deal with another problem that all cattle ranchers face: dealing with all the cow manure on their property.