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 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.
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.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.