Burping bovine: University of Guelph researchers develop tool to predict how much methane a cow will belch out
University of Guelph (U of G) researchers have been looking at ways to breed dairy cows that burp out less methane, a harmful greenhouse gas emission contributing to climate change.
“Methane has a global warming potential 28 times that of carbon dioxide,” said Christine Baes, chair of the U of G animal bioscience department.
Baes is leading a team from the university and Ontario Dairy Research Centre that has developed a new tool, which estimates how much methane will be produced by each of the roughly 700,000 registered dairy cows on farms across Canada.
Researchers with the University of Guelph are working to breed low-methane producing cows. (Spencer Turcotte/CTV News)
Almost 14 per cent our greenhouse gas emissions around the world come from burping livestock, according to the U of G. The university is hoping to change that.
“Over the past several years, our team has been trying to deliver a genetic evolution for methane emission and feed efficiency in dairy cattle,” Baes said.
It means breeders can now select which cows will produce calves that, when fully grown, will belch out less greenhouse gas.
“We're really proud that this research has resulted in Canada being the first country worldwide to be able to deliver genetic evolutions for methane emissions,” Baes said.
HERE’S HOW IT WORKS
At the research centre, which operates in partnership with the university, cows put their heads into 'green feed machines’ and as they eat their hearty meal, paired with heavy breathing and burping, they produce data.
“So when the animal is breathing, those gases are taken up by the machine and measured,” Baes explained.
With about 500 cows at the research centre, there is no shortage of burps to measure.
In fall 2022, the team published a paper in the Journal of Dairy Science describing how to predict methane emissions in dairy cattle using milk mid-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (MIRS).
The U of G said in a recent study that MIRS data could be used to predict methane emissions. Matching up milk samples with DNA samples from individual cows allows a farmer to pinpoint which animals to breed for lower emissions. Ultimately, the hope is that it will contribute to more sustainable dairy operations.
WHICH END IS WORSE?
When it comes to passing gas from the back passage, Baes said the main concern comes from the mouth.
“Many people do think the problematic gas comes out the back end but that's not the case. About 95 per cent of enteric methane emissions are coming out of the front end of the animal,” she said.
The new methane emissions evaluations will initially be provided to owners of Holstein cattle involved in registration and herd testing. They make up the majority of Canada's dairy herd.
Other breeds will be included as more data is collected.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING NEWS Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'