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[quote=!@#$%!]well cows DO shit a lot and that tends to fuck up the waters, i mean... i havent seen figures about methane though.
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Well the major problem is not the manure but the other byproducts of digestion. Basically a cow's rumen is a fermenting vat. Wheras our stomachs are acidic (pH of 2-3) in order to denature proteins, sugars, etc to make their absorption possible, ruminants rely solely on bacteria to break down these compounds (with the rumen at a somewhat neutral pH to enable bacterial metabolism). It's similar to what happens when you eat beans, which are made of complex sugars - since they are complex they are not completely broken down, and bacteria in the intestine will break down the remains through fermentation, thus resulting in farts with the release of methane, H2S, etc, some of which are potent greenhouse gases. Then again, this symbiotic relation (ruminant - bacteria) allows them to metabolise cellulose, which we can't.
There must have been some studies done to assess different feed rations to minimize gases - I know that for swines, which are known to release a disproportionate amount of phosphorous in feces in relation to the feed intake, thus leading to water pollution, commercial enzymatic additives are available (known as phytase) to improve its absorption, and lower the P content of slurry/manure. Phosporous being of course one of the major agents of algae blooms, ground water pollution, etc.
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