UK 'farm lab' ploughs technology to help raise animals sustainably

Data drawn from animal sensors showed some cattle emitting up to 40% less methane than others. Identifying and breeding those could be one simple way to cut emissions. — AP

NORTH WYKE, England: It is an idyllic countryside scene – an embrace of rolling hills dappled with Instagram-worthy bales of straw, as sheep and cows graze under a bright blue sky. Completing the picture, a stately manor graces the background.

But this bucolic setting belies a research project that uses cutting-edge technology on a real-life farm to test ways of making agriculture more sustainable as rising temperatures and greenhouse gas emissions threaten productivity.