June 18, 2009
Denmark scientists looking to reduce emissions from cows
Cows are known for burping methane, which contributes to environmental problems, and scientists in Denmark are working to reduce the emission to benefit both the environment and agriculture.
Scientists at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Aarhus University, and colleagues from KU-Life are studying how much greenhouse gas cows emit and how much the emission can be reduced.
As part of the agriculture ministry's project "Livestock Farming of the Future", scientists will develop new feeding strategies to reduce methane emission, while improving the use of energy from the feed.
A rich source of energy, methane as a greenhouse gas is 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide and is therefore a significant contributor to global warming.
Much energy in the feed is lost with the methane, said senior scientist Peter Lund, who is in charge of the project.
Although methane emissions cannot be completely eliminated, they can be reduced through the feed, as the loss of methane varies according to the composition of the feed, Lund said.
He said the project team is expecting to design feeding strategies that reduce methane emissions by 10-15 percent.
Some of the strategies are likely to reduce the utilisation of the feed or change the characteristics of the milk. The project will also investigate the link between methane production, nutrient digestibility and milk production.
