Manure Covers Could Play Role in Mitigating Global Warming

Technology to mitigate odor and air quality concerns on livestock farms can also be used for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while providing potential income for farmers looking to trade carbon credits. Manure storage covers, originally designed to control odors on dairy, swine and other livestock facilities, can also capture greenhouse gases such as methane, which is more harmful to the environment in terms of global warming effects than carbon dioxide. The collected methane can be traded for carbon credits at carbon trading markets, where the amount of gas measured is converted to its carbon equivalent. The amount the carbon is worth is then paid back to the farmer.