Abstract

Algae feed supplements, often in the form of seaweed, show promise for reducing enteric methane emissions from dairy cows. Organic dairy farmers also use algae feed supplements as a nutritional supplement and to treat health problems of dairy cows, given that organic certification prohibits the use of many synthetics available to conventional dairy farmers.

Measuring the health and nutrition claims of organic dairy farmers regarding algae feed supplements and comparing the claims with perceptions of dairy nutritionists and the findings in the scientific literature can provide useful findings for assessing whether algae feed supplements would be useful for farmers of all types, where appropriate.

Through surveys and bibliometric analysis, we examined how organic dairy farmers, dairy nutritionists, and academic literature perceive these supplements. We found strong positive correlations between academic literature and nutritionist perceptions, and between farmer and nutritionist perceptions. Farmers and nutritionists overlapped regarding the nutritional benefits (source of vitamins and minerals) of algae feed supplements. But farmers cited direct health or therapeutic benefits (e.g., treating pink-eye) more often than nutritionists did, and nutritionists were more likely to cite methane reduction as an outcome of feeding algae.

Notably, we found no significant correlation between academic literature and farmer perceptions, indicating that organic dairy farmers’ opinions might be shaped by hard to measure and validate observation and experiential knowledge.