--- title: "Bill Gates Gives $12 Million to Flatulent Australian Cows" description: "Farmland and flatulence: the essential Bill Gates crossover. The founder's climate fund just invested $12 million into cattle fart and burp-reducing feed." date: "2023-01-26" modified: "2023-01-26" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/bill-gates-flatulent-australian-cows" categories: - "Climate Change" - "Environment" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "agriculture" - "Bill Gates" - "climate change" - "the digest" --- # Bill Gates Gives $12 Million to Flatulent Australian Cows ![Farmland and flatulence: the essential Bill Gates crossover. The founder's climate fund just invested $12 million into cattle fart and burp-reducing feed.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## Crossover Episode Billionaire philanthropist and [toilet tech evangelist]() Bill Gates' climate fund, Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV), just invested $12 million dollars in — checks notes — Australian cow farts and burps. More specifically, BEV is investing in a startup called Rumin8, an Australian climate tech company seeking to reduce livestock methane emissions — by creating an affordable, seaweed-based feed that they claim makes cattle less gaseous. To put it simply, Rumin8 believes that improved cow digestion will result in a happier climate. "The company identifies naturally occurring compounds that have anti-methanogenic properties," reads a Rumin8 [press release](), "and reproduces them in a highly efficient, low-cost, scalable, and high-quality process to feed to livestock to reduce their emissions." What can we say? It's the essential Bill Gates crossover, where [farmland]() meets flatulence — a digestible effort to save the environment. ## Methane Woes Rumin8's mission is certainly intriguing, considering how big of a climate problem animal-emitted methane really is. A major chunk of global greenhouse emissions — around 14.5 percent, [according to the Food Climate Research Network]() (FCRN) — come from livestock. But it's a difficult problem to tackle. We can't just get rid of all farm animals — we've got mouths to feed, farms to keep afloat, and food systems to maintain. On the flip side, industrialized agriculture is, [generally speaking, terrible]() for the environment, and [many experts agree]() that reducing our meat consumption habits is in our planet's best interest. ## Cow Chow If it does indeed work as advertised, a product like Rumin8 would be an incredible addition to our efforts of scaling down industrialized cattle operations. "The demand for sustainable protein has never been more apparent," BEV investor Carmichael Roberts said in the statement, "which is why BEV is keenly interested in reducing methane emissions from beef and dairy." That said, while the startup has raked in nearly [18 million investment dollars]() and [attracted international attention](), there hasn't been a ton of product testing just yet, although [preliminary researc]()h on the seaweed itself has shown incredible promise. Two "safety and efficacy trials" — one for dairy cows, another for beef cows — are set to take place in New Zealand this year, according to a company [press release](). In any case, we're sure Gates is thrilled to add the fart-reducing cow chow to his very long list of [waste-related]() startups — something that both cows and the environment can benefit from. **READ MORE:** [*Bill Gates just invested in a startup that's trying to stop cows from burping and farting so much*]() \[*Insider*\] **More on Gates' interests:** [*Bill Gates' New Toilet Sets Your Poop on Fire*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()