
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
More episodes of Farm Gate
- 'It'll never work on my farm' · April 21, 2026 · 1h 5m
- 'Soil carbon is how dairy gets to net zero' · April 17, 2026 · 36 min
- 'What's good for the land, is good for us' · April 14, 2026 · 55 min
- 'Soil fertility is a defence issue' · April 7, 2026 · 55 min
- 'Out of the bum, not the bag' · April 3, 2026 · 51 min
- Reducing the threat of pest and disease migration · March 31, 2026 · 49 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Farm Gate podcast page.