As part of the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate) Roadshow at the 27th annual UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP27), FFAR and its partners hosted a webinar to discuss the Greener Cattle Initiative. FFAR and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy and launched the Greener Cattle Initiative, a public-private partnership reducing enteric methane emissions from dairy and beef cattle. This five-year initiative is awarding $5 million in research grants to identify, develop and/or validate scientifically sound, commercially feasible and socially responsible mitigation options.
FFAR Executive Director Dr. Saharah Moon Chapotin moderated the webinar and the panelists include:
- Dr. Juan Tricarico, Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy
- Jessica Langley, JBS USA
- Dr. Lucas Huntimer, Elanco
During the webinar, panelists discussed the initiative and its goals, the importance of this research for sustainable agriculture and the value of public-private partnerships in addressing the climate crisis. The webinar concluded with Q&A.
Enteric methane is the single largest source of direct greenhouse gas emissions in the beef and dairy sectors. Methane is primarily emitted on farms through manure degradation and enteric fermentation. Enteric fermentation is part of the normal digestive process in ruminants. While several efforts to advance the sustainability of livestock production are currently underway, few specifically address enteric methane emissions – despite the potential to improve animal productivity and move the dairy and beef sectors toward net zero emissions. The Greener Cattle Initiative fills this gap by bringing together stakeholders from across the dairy and beef value chains to leverage research investments to develop practices and technologies that reduce enteric methane emissions. The Greener Cattle Initiative allows participants to share knowledge and accelerate technologies that enable the production of sustainable beef and dairy.
The Greener Cattle Initiative was launched during at COP26 and was included as one of AIM for Climate’s original Innovation Sprints.