preloader animation
Black and white dairy cows standing in field of grass Black and white dairy cows standing in field of grass

Grant Investigates Naturally Occurring Compound to Reduce Enteric Methane Emissions

Generating Advanced Animal Science Solutions
Generating Advanced Animal Science Solutions

FFAR Interim Scientific Program Lead

Nikki Dutta
ndutta@foundationfar.org

Year Awarded  2022

FFAR award amount   $455,704

Total award amount   $914,543

Location   State College, PA

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   Purina Animal Nutrition

  • Advanced Animal Systems

Agriculture-Generated Methane Needs to be Reduced to Meet Global Climate Change Target

Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas. According to the UN environment Programme, “over a 20-year period, it is 80 times more potent at global warming than carbon dioxide. Methane has accounted for roughly 30% of global warming since pre-industrial times and is proliferating faster than at any other time since record keeping began in the 1980s. In fact, according to data from the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, even as carbon dioxide emissions decelerated during the pandemic-related lockdowns of 2020, atmospheric methane shot up.”

Enteric methane is the single largest source of direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the beef and dairy sectors, representing 2.5% of total U.S. GHG emissions. Microbes in the digestive system of four-chambered-stomach animals, called ruminants, like cattle and sheep, produce methane through the digestion of forages and concentrate feeds.

New approaches to livestock production are needed to lower the amounts of agriculture-generated methane to limit global warming to 1.5°C, a target of the Paris climate change agreement.

Why this research is important

To address this persistent environmental concerns, the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research is awarding a $455,704 Seeding Solutions grant to Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) to reduce enteric methane emissions from ruminants using plant and fungal sources. Purina Animal Nutrition is providing matching funds for a total $914,543 investment. But it takes only about a decade for methane to break down. So, reducing methane emissions now would have an impact in the near term and is critical for helping keep the world on a path to 1.5

Ranchers and producers urgently need effective methods to mitigate enteric methane emissions, as methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and there are currently few sustainably-produced, cost-effective options. This project investigates a novel way to move the dairy and beef industries toward net zero emissions to reach climate neutrality. Nikki Dutta
Scientific Program Officer
Our preliminary data have shown a considerable methane mitigating potential of 3-NPA at practical inclusion rates” said Hristov. This grant, in collaboration with our industry partner, Purina Animal Nutrition, will allow us to investigate the possibilities of enhancing 3-NPA content in plant and fungal sources, determine feasible application methods and propose an effective enteric methane mitigation option to livestock producers. Dr. Alexander N. Hristov
Penn State Distinguished Professor of Dairy Nutrition

Details About this Research

Led by Penn State distinguished professor of dairy nutrition, Dr. Alexander N. Hristov, researchers are investigating using a non-synthetic form of an anti-methanogenic compound, 3-nitro-1-propionic acid (3-NPA), as a feed additive to reduce enteric methane in ruminants. Through a series of tests done in vitro in a laboratory and on living sheep and lactating dairy cows, Hristov and his team are determining the ideal dietary and biological conditions, as well as 3-NPA sources and doses, required to reduce the maximum methane.

This project is testing both the efficacy of using a naturally sourced methane-suppressing compound, as well as a sustainable, cost-effective method for delivering it from fungal and plant sources. Identifying a natural additive that could be used by both conventional and organic producers and does not diminish production will help fill the critical need for an effective enteric methane mitigation strategy from ruminant livestock.

The Latest

Insights

As an inclusive organization, we host Insights from thought leaders across for food and agriculture community on DEI. Learn more about their unique experiences and perspectives.

See all Insights

Building Team Chemistry: The Bigger Picture Behind Cows & Climate

Conor McCabe headshot

Conor McCabe

Animal Biology Graduate Student, UC Davis

Insight on Livestock Methane Mitigation

Dr. Rod Mackie, Professor, Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 

Champaign, IL

Finding a New Way to Control Weeds in Cotton.

Sarah Chu

Sarah Chu

FFAR Fellow, Texas A&M University

Indigenous Farmers are Leading a “New Green Revolution” Focused on Hemp

James DeDecker, Director, Michigan State University – Upper Peninsula Research and Extension Center Mary Donner, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians – Ziibimijwang Farm Executive Director and Tribal Citizen

The Algae-rithm of Sustainable Agriculture: Can Algae Replace Harmful Pesticides and Fertilizers?

Mira Conyers

Meeting Producers Where They Are: A Farmer-Centered Approach to Understanding the Needs of Historically Underserved

Amy Cole

Amy Skoczlas Cole

President of Trust In Food

Protecting the Vidalia Onion

Sujan Paudel

FFAR Fellow

Sustainable Agriculture & Supply Chain Equity

Philippa Lockwood

Clif Bar Program Manager

Irrigation’s Role in Ensuring Global Food Security

Luke Reynolds

Irrigation Association

A Biomass Carol: Bioenergy for The Future

Ekramul Ehite

FFAR Fellow, University of Tennessee-Knoxville

The “Good Soil Discount” — A Game Changer for U.S. Agriculture

Harley Cross

Harley Cross

Land Core Co-founder & Director of Strategy

Illuminating Pest Management with the Help of the Washington State Wine Commission

Alexa McDaniel

FFAR Fellow, Washington State University

Partner Profile: FMC

Julie DiNatale Headshot

Julie DiNatale

FMC vice president and chief sustainability officer

Global Agriculture Leaders See How Maryland Farmers Use Land-based Tools to Benefit Waterways

Ernie Shea

President, Solutions from the Land

FFAR Vet Student Fellow Research Spotlight

Anna Schaubeck

2021 FFAR Veterinary Student Research Fellow

Celebrating Innovation on National Egg Day

Paul Montgomery

Paul Montgomery

Director of Communications, United Egg Producers

Partner Profile: Regrow

Dr. Bill Salas

Organic Ag Podcast Features Innovative Industry Topics

Kathleen Delate

Professor, Organic Agriculture Program, Iowa State University 

Going Nuts: Nut Crops as Climate Resilient Protein Alternatives for the Future

Matt Davis

University of California, Davis

News

The latest news and updates from FFAR.

See all News

Developing Smart Breeding Methods to Increase Crop Resilience

$16 Million Grant Increases Crop Yields, Improves Sustainability & Profitability

ICASA Awards Grants to Address Antimicrobial Resistance in Cattle & Swine

FFAR Applauds President Biden & Congressional Leadership on Passing a Farm Bill Extension

Scientists Unite to Combat Fusarium Wilt in Cotton

Increasing Drought Tolerance in Rice

FFAR Grant Protects Wheat Yields from Wheat Stem Sawfly

GroundBreaker Prize to Fund Critical Water Research

Improving Yields & Traits in US Hemp Crops

Researchers Investigate the Promise of Food Procurement

Working with Farmers to Increase Adoption of Water Conservation Practices

AgMission Grant to Optimize OpTIS, Remote Sensing Tool to Improve Soil Health

Cattle Industry Consortium Funds Research Aimed at Reducing Enteric Methane Emissions

SHIC Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Program Funds Additional Research

FFAR Renews ESMC Partnership to Grow Ecosystem Services Market Program 

Improving Layer Hen Welfare with Better Bone Health

FFAR and North Carolina State University Announce 2023 FFAR Fellows

FFAR Grant Combats Disease in Lettuce Crops

Cattle Industry Consortium Awards First Grant to Curb Enteric Methane Emissions

New Falling Number Test Prevents Wheat Contamination, Saves Farmers Millions

Breakthroughs

Tools, technologies and strategies from the research we fund.

See all Breakthroughs

Documenting Adaptive Multi-Paddock Grazing’s Benefits

Breakthrough for Quantifying the Advantages of Multi-Paddock (AMP) Grazing Compared to Conventional Continuous Grazing in the U.S. Southeast & Northern Great Plains

Research Pinpoints Why Dairy Cows Produce Less Milk in Warm Weather and Develops Nutrition-Based Solution

Breakthrough for FFAR Grant Helps Heat-Stressed Dairy Cows Weather Increasing Temperatures

Accelerating Crop Development with Improved Haploid Fertility

Breakthrough for Accelerated Development of Crops of the Future

Emergency Food Provision for Children & Families During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Breakthrough for Integrating Community and Modeling Efforts to Evaluate Impacts and Tradeoffs of Food System Interventions

National Academies Report on Interventions to Reduce Consumer Food Waste

Breakthrough for Understanding & Reducing Consumer Food Waste

Pipestone Researchers Find Feed Additives Stop Viral Disease Spread

Breakthrough for FFAR-Funded Research Finds Feed Additives Stop the Spread of Viral Diseases

Launch of Eco-Harvest, a program rewarding producers for regenerative agriculture practices

Breakthrough for Ecosystem Services Market Research Consortium

Science Breakthroughs to Advance Food and Agricultural Research by 2030

Breakthrough for Breakthroughs 2030 Report Identifies New Scientific Strategy to Transform US Agriculture

Radiography could transform poultry breeding

Breakthrough for FFAR Awards $1.4 Million to Purdue University, University of California, Davis and University of Edinburgh Researchers to Improve Health and Productivity of Egg-Laying Hens

The Irrigation Innovation Consortium & Parallel 41 Network: Building a path to data-driven management

Initial Success Achieved in Ending Surgical Castration of Swine

Breakthrough for FFAR Awards $500,000 Grant to Improve Swine Health and Well-Being

Combatting Fastidious Pathogens: Getting to the Root of the Problem

RIPE Researchers Prove Bioengineering Better Photosynthesis Increases Yields in Food Crops for the First Time

Breakthrough for Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) Reinvestment

Groundwater Fluctuations Impact Grain Yields

Breakthrough for FFAR Awards $2.4 Million to Eight Early-Career Research Faculty Members for Innovative Research Projects

Want to do more to support our pioneering research?