You've heard of grass-fed beef. How about seaweed-fed beef?

Summary

Podcast Summary: Marketplace Morning Report
Episode: "You've heard of grass-fed beef. How about seaweed-fed beef?"
Date: October 29, 2025

---

Main Theme

This episode explores cutting-edge efforts to reduce the climate impact of cattle by feeding them seaweed to dramatically curb methane emissions. It features a breed of economic updates — from expected interest rate moves to the uneven effects of economic shifts — but spotlights a climate innovation at the intersection of agriculture, research, and environmental policy.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Interest Rate Expectations & K-Shaped Economy

Speakers:

• David Brancaccio (Host)

• David Kelly (Chief Global Strategist, JP Morgan Funds)

• Interest Rate Cut Anticipated:

  • The Federal Reserve is expected to cut interest rates by a quarter point.
  • Data shortage due to a government shutdown challenges the Fed, but private sources and models offer some visibility.
  • Quote: "They are kind of dancing in the dark here. But I think they have signaled they're going to cut rates by 1/4 of a percent." — David Kelly [01:26]

• Economic Softness & Layoffs:

  • Notable layoffs at Amazon and a major parcel service suggest softness without an official unemployment report.

• K-Shaped Recovery Explained:

  • Tech and AI sectors thrive; lower- and middle-income Americans face slow job growth and higher tariffs.
  • Quote: "We have here is a sort of K shaped economy...the stock market is absolutely booming...average Americans...are getting squeezed." — David Kelly [02:38]

• Tariff Politics Update:

  • Senate makes a symbolic vote to block a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports, tied to broader international political tensions.

2. Rethinking Cattle Feed to Fight Climate Change

Speakers:

• David Brancaccio (Host)

• Amy Scott (Host, How We Survive podcast)

• Paolo de Meofio (Postdoctoral Fellow, UC Davis)

• Ermias Kebrab (Professor, UC Davis, mentioned)

• Cattle & Methane Emissions Challenge:

  • Livestock responsible for 12-20% of global greenhouse gas emissions, mostly methane.
  • Methane is primarily released through burps, not flatulence.
  • Memorable Explanation: "Climate altering gases come out of the tushies of cows, but it’s mostly the burps." — David Brancaccio [05:40]

• Seaweed as a Solution:

  • At UC Davis, cattle are fed a seaweed supplement containing bromoform, which blocks methane production in their rumen.
  • Three groups in the study: control, early-life seaweed addition, and lifelong supplementation.
  • Quote: "We hope these animals, over their life, they produce less methane compared with the control group." — Paolo de Meofio [06:42]

• How Emissions Are Measured:

  • Cattle use machines dispensing alfalfa pellets to lure them for methane measurement via sensors.
  • Quote: "It's important to highlight, like 95% of the emission come from the mouth. ...The expiration and the belching from the room." — Paolo de Meofio [07:31]

• Promising Results & Long-Term Potential:

  • Feedlot trials saw up to a 90% methane reduction.
  • Early intervention (seaweed for the first few months) still reduced methane by 20% five months after stopping treatment.
  • The research is ongoing; potential to make a sustained reduction if effects are proven to last until harvest.

• Further Innovations:

  • Gene editing in collaboration with UC Berkeley aims to alter cattle’s microbiome for lasting methane reduction.
  • Balanced View: Amy Scott notes that this doesn't address other livestock environmental issues, such as land use and fertilizer.
  • Quote: "But Kebrab says if we want cleaner beef, reducing methane has to be part of the equation." — Amy Scott [09:01]

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "They are kind of dancing in the dark here. But I think they have signaled they're going to cut rates by 1/4 of a percent."
  — David Kelly (on the Fed's challenge and likely action) [01:26]

• "We have here is a sort of K shaped economy...the stock market is absolutely booming...average Americans...are getting squeezed."
  — David Kelly (on disparities in economic recovery) [02:38]

• "Climate altering gases come out of the tushies of cows, but it’s mostly the burps."
  — David Brancaccio (lighthearted explainer) [05:40]

• "We hope these animals, over their life, they produce less methane compared with the control group."
  — Paolo de Meofio (on research goals) [06:42]

• "It's important to highlight, like 95% of the emission come from the mouth. ...The expiration and the belching from the room."
  — Paolo de Meofio (on methane sources from cattle) [07:31]

• "But Kebrab says if we want cleaner beef, reducing methane has to be part of the equation."
  — Amy Scott (on the importance, limitations, and context of the research) [09:01]

---

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:01] — Start of economic/interest rate discussion with David Kelly
• [02:19] — Discussion of economic softness and layoffs
• [02:38] — K-shaped recovery explained
• [03:05] — Symbolic Senate vote on tariffs
• [05:40] — Introduction of cattle and methane emissions topic
• [06:01] — Amy Scott’s on-site report at UC Davis
• [07:31] — Measurement of cattle emissions and results overview
• [08:39] — Future directions: gene editing and critiques
• [09:12] — Conclusion and pointer to related podcast

---

Flow & Tone

The tone stays brisk, informative, and gently conversational, with flashes of wit (especially regarding cow methane). The climate science segment is grounded in real laboratory routines and up-to-date, rapidly developing research with global implications, making it both accessible and scientifically credible.

---

Useful for those who haven’t listened:
This episode delivers a concise yet thorough look at both current economic developments and an inspiring, tangible approach to cutting livestock methane — with real-world trials, hopeful early data, and honest recognition of the complexity behind "cleaner beef."

Transcript

[Dell PC Advertiser]

Introducing your new Dell PC with the Intel Core Ultra processor. It helps you handle a lot, even when your holiday to do list gets to be a lot like organizing your holiday shopping and searching for great holiday deals and customer questions and customers requesting custom things. Plus planning the perfect holiday dinner for vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians and Uncle Mike's carnivore diet. Luckily you can get a PC with all day battery life to help you get it all done. That's the power of a Dell PC with Intel inside, backed by Dell's price match guarantee. Get yours [e-mail] holiday terms and conditions apply. See dell.com for details.

[Odoo Advertiser]

This podcast is supported by Odoo. Some say Odoo business management software is like fertilizer for businesses because the simple, efficient software promotes growth. Others say Odoo is like a magic beanstalk because it scales with you and is magically affordable. And some describe Odoo's programs for manufacturing, accounting and more as building blocks for creating a custom software suite. So Odoo is fertilizer Magic beanstalk building blocks for business Odoo exactly what businesses need. Sign [e-mail] that's o d o o.com.

[David Brancaccio]

Meat plus dairy equals cattle equals greenhouse gas. I'm David Brancaccio in Los Angeles. First in four hours we'll pop some popcorn and wait for the bulletin revealing what central bankers are going to do with interest rates. Economist David Kelly is chief global strategist at JP Morgan Funds and he joins us now for more. Good morning.

[David Kelly]

Good morning.

[David Brancaccio]

Are we fixing for maybe a little cut in interest rates? Is that what you're thinking?

[David Kelly]

Yeah, I think that's very likely. One of the problems the Federal Reserve has is that they don't have any government data like the rest of us. So they are kind of dancing in the dark here. But I think they have signaled they're going to cut rates by 1/4 of a percent. I think they'll go ahead and do that.

[David Brancaccio]

I mean, they're not flying completely blind. It's a little like a pilot in bad weather. You may not be able to see out because of the clouds, but they have some instruments from the private sector.

[David Kelly]

That's right. They've got a fair amount of private sector data and they've got their own models and so they know more or less what's going to happen in terms of tariffs feeding through to some higher inflation. I think they can see the effect of the government shut down a little bit. They've got, of course, all these reports from the regional Federal Reserves, the beige book, they call it, talking about local conditions. So I think they realize the economy is soft, it's not really in trouble here, not really threatened by recession, but inflation is not skyrocketing here and they're under a lot of pressure to cut rates. And I think they will cut rates.

[David Brancaccio]

Yeah. I mean, there are signs of softness. There are reports that Amazon has some significant layoffs. The Wall Street Journal was first to report that the parcel service, large layoffs, management and operations people. You don't have to wait for the official monthly unemployment report to see that.

[David Kelly]

What we have here is a sort of K shaped economy where we can see booming sectors. The stock market is absolutely booming and we're seeing huge spending on AI data centers, chips, all that is doing very well. But at the same time, average Americans, lower middle income consumers are getting squeezed by higher tariffs, by, by slower job growth, by the government shutdown. And I think a lot of what you're seeing in the economic data really reflects that.

[David Brancaccio]

I'm looking at a capital letter K here, the K shaped economy. Right. One part of it shoots skyward, one of them droops down and you have both that at once. I see the metaphor. David Kelly, chief global strategist at JP Morgan Funds always good to catch up anytime. Next week, the Supreme Court hears arguments on whether a president can call something an emergency and use that to launch tariffs without working with Congress. He Yesterday, The Senate, with five Republicans joining Democrats, voted 52 to 48 to try to block President Trump's 50% tariff on imports from Brazil. That's a country that buys more from the US Than we buy from them. But the US President objects to the way a friend, a former Brazilian president, was convicted of attempting a coup. The Senate vote is symbolic since the House will not take this up.

[LHH Advertiser]

Recruitment in finance, it can feel transactional, driven by numbers, not by nuance. Lacking the personal touch that fuels performance, LHH believes it should be more by connecting people to opportunity, not just skills to roles. Beautiful things happen in finance. A leader drives growth. A team finds clarity in complexity. The people you hire become the people you rely on making 90,000 hours in a career well invested. Recruitment development, career transition. Lhh a beautiful working world for the world of finance. Get the recruitment solutions your business needs to move forward. Start [e-mail] Beautiful.

[The Economist Insider Promoter]

The world is changing faster than ever now with the Economist Insider, a new premium video offering. We're giving you unprecedented access to the debates shaping our world.

[David Brancaccio]

I have sat around that table at.

[Paolo de Meofio]

NATO There is an incoming missile attack.

[Dell PC Advertiser]

Now could you answer the question? I'm sorry, we've got very little time left.

[The Economist Insider Promoter]

With a few surprises along the I.

[Dell PC Advertiser]

Can'T promise we'll have a cocktail every time, but we'll try.

[The Economist Insider Promoter]

So don't just be an Economist reader. Get on the inside track with the Economist Insider. Go to economist.com to join the conversation.

[David Brancaccio]

Researchers figure livestock herds contribute between 12 and 20% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. That's mostly methane from the digestive process. In plain English, kids in the backseat. Climate altering gases come out of the tushies of cows, but it's mostly the burps. Amy Scott, host of our climate podcast How We Survive, has been looking into solutions.

[Amy Scott]

It's feeding time for the steers in a research barn at the University of California, Davis. Using a cement mixer, an intern is blending a special additive into some of the cattle feed. It's made from seaweed. Postdoctoral fellow Paolo de Meofio runs the day to day operations here.

[Paolo de Meofio]

So we have three groups in the trial.

[Amy Scott]

One is the control group that receives no intervention. Another group gets a seaweed additive from their second day of life until they're three months old. And the third gets the additive from two months old to about 18 months when they go to slaughter.

[Paolo de Meofio]

We hope these animals, over their life, they produce less methane compared with the control group.

[Amy Scott]

How will they produce less methane? Seaweed has a compound called bromiform that blocks the production of methane in the cattle's rumen, the first of their four stomach chambers. To see how the treatment is working, Demeofio lures the animals to a machine that deposits tasty alfalfa pellets. Right now, a steer named Sheepy, part of the long term treatment group, has his head in the machine. While he enjoys his snack, sensors measure his emissions. So this is maybe indelicate, but like when they're in there, they're belching. And that's what it's measuring.

[Paolo de Meofio]

Yeah, exactly. It's important to highlight, like 95% of the emission come from the mouth. The noise trail. So it's the expiration and the belching from the room.

[Amy Scott]

As Shipy eats, an app on Demeofio's phone shows a small spike in methane.

[Paolo de Meofio]

So this is probably his first belch the machine could capture. So what we see spiking here, previous.

[Amy Scott]

Research of feedlot cattle found that adding seaweed to the feed reduced methane emissions by as much as 90%. But Professor Ermias Cabrab, who's leading the UC Davis study says cattle spend most of their lives grazing before they get to the feedlot. If he can prove that early intervention has long lasting effects, that could be a game changer. And so far the results are promising. The five months after they stopped receiving the treatment, the steers in the short term group still had a 20% reduction in methane.

[David Brancaccio]

I'm really hoping that this will continue.

[Paolo de Meofio]

Until they are harvested, but we'll have.

[David Brancaccio]

To do the work and find out.

[Amy Scott]

He's also working with researchers at UC Berkeley to use gene editing to modify cattle's microbiome to produce the same effect. Critics of the effort say even if it works, it doesn't address the other climate impacts of livestock, from deforestation for grazing to petroleum based fertilizers and transportation. But Kebrab says if we want cleaner beef, reducing methane has to be part of the equation. I'm Amy Scott for Marketplace.

[David Brancaccio]

For more on how we eat alters the planet, you can listen to the fresh season of our podcast, How We Survive. It's free from the podcast Apps. This is the Marketplace Morning Report from APM American Public Media.

[Lulu Miller]

Want to see a wilder world than the one we live in? A world with more beauty, more kindness, and more unbelievable superpowers?

[Odoo Advertiser]

Guess what?

[Lulu Miller]

It's right here on Planet Earth. And over on our podcast, Terrestrials. Each episode we tell you stories about the strangeness waiting right here on Earth, hosted by me, Lulu Miller from Radiolab, along with a whole crew of amazing storytellers, animals and our song bud, Alan. Get curious with terrestrials on the Radiolab for Kids Podcast podcast feed. Listen wherever you get your podcast.