Evaluation of dietary strategies to reduce methane emissions of dairy cows

The dairy cow industry is a significant contributor to emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane because of anaerobic fermentation that occurs in every cow’s forestomach. The proposed research aims to contribute to development of dietary strategies to reduce methane emissions from dairy cows by at least 50% without affecting wellness markers and lactation performance. A proprietary feed additive will be fed to cows in a dose-response study and results will be analyzed in a whole farm systems model. The partner organization will benefit from this research by identifying potential new strategies for the mitigation of methane emissions in large ruminants, potentially leading to the future development of new product(s).

Faculty Supervisor:

John Cant

Student:

Partner:

Trouw Nutrition Canada

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Agriculture; Manufacturing

University:

University of Guelph

Program: