How regen washes methane from the sky

How regen washes methane from the sky

From Farm Gate by ffinlo Costain

March 24, 2026 · 1h 2m

About this episode

This episode discusses the role of hydroxyl radicals in breaking down methane in regenerative farming systems.

Cattle in regenerative farm systems deliver remarkable ecological value at the same time as producing food and fibre. In this programme, we focus on methane and hydroxyl radicals - the highly reactive molecules that wash methane out of the sky, dismantling it back into its constituent parts of carbon and hydrogen. We talk about where hydroxyl radicals come from, and why, in well-hydrated regenerative pastures there are more of them - meaning that they can work more rapidly to break down the methane produced by the grazing cattle present in those managed ecosystems. To take us through the science, I'm joined by the blogger known on X as @Regenetarianism. Stephen shuns the spotlight and speaks publicly only extremely rarely. He isn't an academic, but he is someone that high level academics turn to for insight on these subjects, because his knowledge is so deep and broad following a great many years of research, synthesising knowledge from hundreds of peer-reviewed papers that address methane's physical and chemical processes, and working to understand them in the context of ruminant agriculture. Stephen has kindly written a referenced blog to accompany this podcast. It's called…

People in this episode

Guest: Stephen

Topics covered

  • regenerative agriculture
  • methane
  • hydroxyl radicals
  • ecological value
  • ruminant agriculture

Keywords

  • cattle
  • food production
  • fibre
  • atmospheric oxidation

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