November 1, 2024

 

Oregon, US researchers receive US$1 million grant to study seaweed's role in reducing cattle methane emissions

Researchers at Oregon State University, Oregon, US, have received a US$1 million grant to study the impact of adding seaweed to the diets of beef cattle, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Beef Magazine reported.

 

Funded by the US Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the project will examine the effects of feeding cattle with Pacific dulse, a seaweed species grown commercially along the Oregon Coast.

 

Previous studies indicate that incorporating seaweed in cattle diets can significantly reduce methane emissions, which largely arise from enteric fermentation in the animals' digestive process. The research will focus on the Pacific dulse's impact on cattle grazing in sagebrush steppe landscapes, a common ecosystem in the western US.

 

"At a time of heightened public concern about greenhouse gas emissions, this project has the potential to help ranchers more sustainably and efficiently produce beef while also providing an economic benefit to seaweed producers," said Juliana Ranches, project director and assistant professor at Oregon State's Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center in Burns, Oregon.

 

Methane produced by cattle contributes to over a quarter of the agricultural sector's greenhouse gas emissions in the US, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The agriculture sector itself accounts for 9.4% of the country's greenhouse gas emissions, with the majority stemming from methane linked to cattle digestion.

 

For this study, about 20 cattle will graze annually on a 100-acre pasture at the Northern Great Basin Experimental Range in Riley, Oregon, located between Bend and Burns. The cattle will wear GPS collars and be managed within a virtual fencing system.

 

The researchers plan to introduce Pacific dulse grown by Oregon Seaweed, a company based on the Oregon Coast, as a dietary supplement for the cattle. By feeding different amounts of dried dulse to the cows, the team aims to determine the optimal supplementation level for reducing methane emissions produced during the cows' digestive processes.

 

James Fox, an algal physiologist and co-investigator of the project, said the study will explore how the growing methods of the seaweed affect the compounds linked to methane reduction. Fox and his colleagues at OSU-Cascades in Bend will also examine how seaweed supplementation impacts the bacterial makeup in cattle stomachs, assessing its role in reducing methane production.

 

In addition to dietary supplementation, researchers will use an Eddy Covariance Flux Tower to measure carbon dioxide and methane fluctuations in the grazing area.

 

"Most of the research on seaweed feed supplementation for cattle has taken place in feedlots," said Rory O'Connor, a rangeland ecologist with the US Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service in Burns and co-director of the project. "Our work is novel because we are focused on cattle that graze in the sagebrush-steppe ecosystem."

 

Other project partners include Chuck Toombs, CEO and founder of Oregon Seaweed, and the USDA Northwest Climate Hub. This collaboration highlights the project's goal to address environmental concerns while providing sustainable options for ranchers and supporting the regional seaweed industry.

 

-      Beef Magazine