Oh Goody! Another Colossal Waste of Money!

Swedish study to measure methane released by belching cows
The Associated PressJan. 21, 2008 12:21 PM

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - A Swedish university has received $590,000 in research funds to measure the greenhouse gases released when cows belch. (WTF!? I just got a picture in my head of those California cheese cows just letting one rip.)

About 20 cows will participate in the project (how exactly does a cow sign up to participate in a study??) run by the Swedish University for Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala, about 40 miles north of Stockholm, officials said Monday.

Cattle release methane, a greenhouse gas believed to contribute to global warming, when they digest their food (just like the rest of us mammals ~ it ain’t no secret. That'll be $590,000.).

Researchers believe the level of methane released depends on the type of food they eat (so what? They produce more gas if they eat Mexican?).

Project leader Jan Bertilsson said that the cows involved in the study will have different diets and wear a collar device measuring the methane level in the air around them. (will some be on the South Beach Diet, some on the Body for Life diet?)

He said 95 percent of the methane released by cows comes out through the mouth. (so, they already know how much methane cows produce when they belch, but they’re going to spend over a half million dollars to study it anyway?)

"This type of research is already being conducted in Canada so we will be in contact with Canadian agricultural researchers in the near future," he said. (ok, wait. It’s already being researched in another country? What are these fools hoping to find out? That Sweedish cows produce more methane than Canadian ones? Is it because of all the Swiss cheese? )

The research will be funded by a grant from the government's Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning. (like their cheese, the logic behind approving this study has holes all through it).