Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon with a net worth of over $190 billion, is taking aim at livestock. A surge of new funding to explore ways to curb methane emissions is coordinating with several outlets, associations and agencies to identify methods and genetics that will reduce emissions in the name of supporting climate health.
In 2020, Bezos, one of the richest men in the world, launched the Bezos Earth Fund with a commitment of $10 billion to fund scientists, activists, non-government organizations and other initiatives in an effort to help climate health. This fund focuses on five major areas including conserving and restoring nature, using artificial intelligence (AI) for climate and nature, future of food, environmental justice that supports groups defending personal initiatives and extreme weather attribution.
Bezos was described in a New York Times article by Nellie Bowles as “a brilliant but mysterious and coldblooded corporate titan,” and named the “World’s Worst Boss” in a 2014 article in the International Trade Union Confederation. While this may be true, his record of business success cannot be disputed. He’s been Time Magazine’s Person of the Year, the U.S. News and World Report’s best leaders, a two-time best-performing CEO in the Harvard Business Review, and a five-time short list of the world’s most influential people. Both lists are extremely long. What is relevant is that he is powerful, well-known, well-funded and now has his sights on livestock production. For reference, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association estimates the U.S. cattle industry is valued at $89 billion, which is less than half of Bezos’ personal net worth.
Bezos took a more rigid approach and is a key player in the Global Methane Hub, which was established in 2022 in response to the Global Methane Pledge developed during the prior year’s COP26 (26th Conference of the Parties) meetings by the European Union and the U.S. With partners like the IKEA Foundation, Inter-American Development Bank, and others, the Global Methane Hub has support from key players with very deep pockets.
The Global Methane Hub and Bezos Earth Fund have now launched a $27.4 million ($19.3 million from the Bezos Earth Fund and $8.1 million from the Global Methane Hub) initiative looking at breeding cattle that will lower methane release into the atmosphere. This initiative also is looking at how to develop vaccines that could reduce emissions, explore new alternative protein sources for lab grown or plant-based sources and virtual fencing plans.
“Reducing methane from cattle is one of the most elegant solutions we have to slow climate change,” Dr. Andy Jarvis, Bezos Earth Fund director of the future, says on the group’s website. The site goes on to claim that methane is 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, and tout that cattle are the largest contributors. The funding is targeting research and breeding programs across North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa and Oceania to help herds emit less methane from selection pressure. By identifying genetics, the site claims that this approach won’t need farmers to change how they feed or raise livestock.
The $27.4 million in funds have been earmarked for the following recipients: $8.7 million to accelerate low-emission dairy breeding across Holstein, Jersey, Brown Swiss and Red breeds led by the Wageningen University in the Netherlands; $4.85 million to the Angus Foundation (Saint Joseph, MO) to integrate low-methane traits info beef cattle breeding programs in North America, Oceania and Europe; $3.35 million to advance methane-efficient breeding in Indigenous African cattle; and $2.34 million to the University of Nebraska to lead research on low-methane beef genetics in commercial and crossbred cattle populations in the U.S. The remaining $8.1 million is for universities in Uruguay and Australia and rumen microbiome sampling and analysis funded by the Global Methane Hub and Bezos Earth Fund.
The American Angus Association has been working with the University of Nebraska on a multitude of projects relating to DNA. The data that cattlemen across the country use when it comes to genetic selection on our current population of cattle all have ties to both entities already. The two major players in selling genetic panel testing are Neogen and Zoetis. Producers take genetic samples, send them to the lab and results across 24 traits plus bovine viral diarrhea and genetic condition results are supplied to the producer. This is then marketed to customers. Currently, it’s a great tool. It helps producers select traits pertinent to their operation and are considered strong indicators of science-based technology in cattle breeding methods.
That said, we will be seeing trait research done that is backed by companies that I question how much they actually support livestock production. Bezos announced a $60 million donation to develop the Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein that includes a push for alternative protein just last year. Simply put, this relationship doesn’t pass the smell test. When you have a global powerhouse working against us, who then works with someone who we can trust, the uncomfortable appearance this initially gives off is palpable. Stay tuned on this issue, it isn’t going away. — LOGAN IPSEN
