SUSTAINABILITY 60 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE November 2024 this reason, it is crucial to address cattle methane emissions to combat climate change effectively. This article will explore the sources of methane emissions from cows, the impact on the climate, and strategies for reducing cow methane emissions. SOURCES OF COW METHANE EMISSIONS How do cows produce methane? Methane emissions from cows primarily originate from two sources: enteric cow methane emissions and cow methane emissions from manure. The anaerobic conditions in manure lagoons and manure pits contribute to the release of methane gas from cows. In beef cattle, cow methane emissions are mainly from enteric fermentation. In dairy, cow methane emissions are more equally split between enteric fermentation and manure management practices (see Figure 4). The exact split of methane production in cows between emission of cow methane from enteric fermentation and methane from cows coming from manure is depending on diet, production level and production stage. The actual split of cow methane between enteric fermentation and cow methane emission from manure may therefore differ between sources. THE IMPACT OF COW METHANE ON CLIMATE CHANGE Cow methane, although emitted in smaller quantities, has a stronger warming effect compared to carbon dioxide. Over the past 100 years, carbon dioxide has caused the highest warming effect, followed by methane and nitrous oxide. Despite methane's shorter lifespan in the atmosphere, its radiative forcing capability makes efforts to reduce cow methane crucial. The reduction of methane gas from cows has the potential to significantly contribute to achieving the goals for 2050, outlined in the Paris Agreement. EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES TO REDUCE METHANE FROM COWS Improving feed efficiency to reduce methane from cows If feed efficiency is increased, more milk will be produced out of the same amount of feed. This also means that the amount of cow methane per kg of ECM produced on the farm will go down. Selko IntelliBond is an example of a feed additive that improves feed efficiency and as a result, it reduces the amount of methane gas from cows per kg of ECM by 1.5-2%. Increasing Lifetime Daily Yield to reduce cow methane Lifetime Daily Yield (LDY) can be increased by improving calf rearing practices and transition management. If LDY goes up, the amount of methane produced during the rearing phase and also, the amount of methane produced for maintenance will be diluted over more kg of ECM, resulting in a redcution of cow methane emission per kg of ECM produced. Improving Manure Management to reduce cow methane Implementing anaerobic digestion systems or capturing methane from manure lagoons can effectively reduce cattle methane emissions. These systems 35% Livestock production Beef Dairy Pork 20% 10% Others Coal mining Landfills Oil and gas production 8% 17% 30% 11% 4% Manure Enteric Beef Dairy Pork 2.6% 97,4 43% 57% 89% 11% Figure 4. Methane emission of livestock, split between cattle methane emissions from dairy cows, cattle methane emissions from beef and methane produced by pork. For each of these three species, the split between enteric methane emission and emission from manure is given. Source: EDF, 2022
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