Mitigating enteric methane emissions is a major focus of farmer-led voluntary efforts by the dairy sector to meet environmental stewardship goals. Research resulting from these and future GCI awards will provide more options for farmers to choose from to mitigate methane emissions.
Matching Funders Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, ADM, the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB), Elanco, Genus plc, JBS USA, the National Dairy Herd Information Association, Nestlé and the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRC)
Grantee Institution Penn State
Penn State’s Distinguished Professor of Dairy Nutrition, Dr. Alexander N. Hristov, is developing new enteric methane inhibitors, naturally occurring or synthetic compounds that, when ingested by cows, can decrease enteric methane emissions. The research also assesses the most effective delivery methods for these inhibitors.
The research team is focusing on inhibitors that have already been shown to reduce methane by at least 30% in laboratory tests and studying the efficacy and feasibility of these inhibitor compounds in cows. Additionally, they are identifying and optimizing dietary conditions required to maximize enteric methane emission reductions.
Goals & Objectives
Complete and summarize the data from preliminary laboratory work with promising enteric methane inhibitor compounds.
Test the most effective inhibitor(s) from the preliminary laboratory work on lactating dairy cows to collect methane mitigation data, as well as measure the effects of the inhibitor(s) on lactational performance, milk fatty acid profile, ruminal fermentation and microbiome, nutrient digestibility and blood chemistry.
Test the most effective inhibitor(s) from the preliminary laboratory work on lactating dairy cows to measure long-term effects of treatment on enteric methane emission, rumen fermentation and microbiome, lactational performance and animal health and present these findings at scientific conferences and in peer-reviewed journals.
Researcher Dr. Alex Hristov, distinguished professor of dairy nutrition, with cows in the enteric methane mitigation study. Credit: Michael Houtz/Penn State / Penn State. All Rights Reserved.
The GCI funding we have received is allowing us to fast-track the transformative research necessary to advance our understanding of rumen methanogenesis to mitigate these environmentally important enteric methane emissions. This research investment represents the forward thinking we need to develop novel ways to move the dairy and beef industries toward low emission systems and help these industries meet their sustainability goals.
Matching Funders Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, ADM, the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB), Elanco, Genus plc, JBS USA, the National Dairy Herd Information Association, Nestlé, the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRC) and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Grantee Institution University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Microorganisms in the rumen, the large fermentation vat that serves as the first compartment of the ruminant stomach, use hydrogen and carbon dioxide to produce large volumes of methane. Dr. Roderick Mackie, professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is leading an international research study on how diets and different additives affect hydrogen production and utilization in the rumen of both beef and dairy cattle and how these changes in hydrogen dynamics affect the amount of enteric methane produced. By the conclusion of the three-year project, the researchers intend to recommend specific amounts of additives or dietary strategies that reduce methane emissions while maintaining or even improving production performance.
Institutions involved in the project include:
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as the project lead
Grasslands Research Centre, AgResearch of New Zealand
University of British Columbia; the Lethbridge Research and Development Centre; and Agriculture and Agi-Food Canada – all of Canada
Norwegian University of Life Sciences of Norway
Queen’s University Belfast of Northern Ireland
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev of Israel
ProAgni of Australia
Why Focus on Hydrogen?
During the fermentation process, hydrogen produced in the rumen is used to convert carbon dioxide into methane. The research team believes if methane production is reduced, hydrogen will accumulate and inhibit glycolysis, the important fermentation process that generates energy for the animal. Therefore, scientists are investigating alternative ways to use this excess hydrogen to benefit cattle growth or production when methane production is inhibited. They believe these benefits can provide the economic incentive necessary for widescale, commercial adoption of methane reduction strategies.
The team’s research strategy combines bioreactor studies in the lab with whole animal studies of beef and dairy cattle to investigate hydrogen production and its utilization within the rumen system. By examining rumen microbial communities from high- and low-emitting phenotype cattle on both high- and low-forage diets, they aim to uncover how dietary adjustments with promising inhibitor compounds impact fermentation in the rumen and animal performance.
Since beef and dairy cattle consume different diets, the scientists hypothesize they will need to adjust methane inhibitor methodology to develop recommendations for both types of cattle that are effective yet do not hinder production.
Naturally occurring hydrogen and carbon dioxide within the rumen are used to produce methane. If you inhibit the formation of methane, what happens to all the hydrogen in the system? What we would like to be able to do is redirect that hydrogen from being a waste of energy to something productive.
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign contributed $726,860 in addition to GCI partner funding.
An Integrated Approach to Mitigating Enteric Methane Emissions
Year Awarded 2023
FFAR award amount $2,301,499
Total award amount $3,301,496
Location Madison, WI
Matching Funders Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, ADM, the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB), Elanco, Genus plc, JBS USA, the National Dairy Herd Information Association, Nestlé and the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRC)
Grantee Institution University of Wisconsin–Madison
All cows produce methane, but not every cow is alike. According to preliminary research conducted by Dr. Francisco Peñagaricano, assistant professor in the University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, and his team, some cows release around 600 grams of methane per day, while others average around 300 grams. This result informs the selective breeding of U.S. dairy cattle that release lower methane emissions.
The team is taking a three-pronged approach to reducing enteric methane emissions.
Using genetics to selectively breed cattle that produce fewer methane emissions.
Developing a milk-based test to predict a cow’s methane emissions.
Understanding microorganisms in cows’ rumen, a large fermentation vat in the first compartment of cows’ stomach, is necessary to inform possible dietary or other interventions.
Genetics
First, the research team is measuring how much methane 4,000 individual Holstein cows exhale using portable GreenFeed systems that capture all the air a cow exhales while eating. The team will then study the genetics of these cows, identifying various traits, such as the quantity and intensity of methane production. Once these traits are better understood, the team can pursue selective breeding for cows that produce less methane.
Milk Testing
The second prong of the project is developing a low-cost, noninvasive tool that farmers can use to measure herd methane emissions. The research team is using milk spectrometry technology to explore whether infrared light can identify specific chemical compounds in the samples that would indicate methane emissions. Dairy farmers usually send monthly milk samples to a lab to monitor overall quality, protein, and fat levels. The research team further aims to test their tool on these milk samples to inform farmers about their herds’ methane emissions.
Understanding Rumen Microbes
The third prong of the project focuses on better understanding the relationship between the rumen, the microbes that live within it and methane production, as well as how diet or genetics impact them. Using GreenFeed systems’ emissions data, the team is identifying the 10% highest and lowest methane-producing cows from the 4,000 tested and examining their rumens and microbes within to determine differences. The data will be used to inform future dietary methane-inhibiting intervention research strategies, like inserting specific bacteria into the rumen before lactation to reduce enteric methane.
Variability is crucial, [and] part of that variability is due to genetics. We can use that variation to improve cows in the next few generations through genetic selection.
