Seaweed feed additive cuts emissions from beef cattle
methane emissions come from the an- imal itself, nutrition plays a big role in finding solutions.” Roque said she believes the UC Davis researchwith seaweed feed supplements “could help farmers sustainably produce the beef and dairy products we need to feed the world.” “There is more work to be done, but we are very encouraged by these re- sults,” she said. “We now have a clear answer to the quest ion of whether seaweed supplements can sustainably reduce livestock methane emissions,
and its long-term effectiveness.” Kebreab and Roque collaborated with a federal scientific agency in Australia, the Commonweal th Scient i f ic and Industrial ResearchOrganization; James Cook University in Australia; Meat and Livestock Australia; and Blue Ocean Barns, a startup company involved in creating and marketing seaweed-based cattle feed additives. Kebreab serves as a scientific advisor to Blue Ocean Barns. Results of the study with beef cattle were published last week in the journal PLOS ONE .
New tests with beef cattle have con- firmed scientists’ opinions froman earli- er studywithdairy cows: The researchers say adding small amounts of seaweed to cattle feed can greatly reduce methane emissions from the animals. Animal scientists at the University of California, Davis, reported last week that beef cattle that ate feed including sea- weed had methane emissions reduced as much as 82%. The study with beef cattle builds on the researchers’ previousworkwithdairy cows; in 2018, that study showed the feed with seaweed cut cows’ emissions by more than half. According to UC Davis, the seaweed inhibits an enzyme in a cow’s digestive system that contributes to methane production. Ermias Kebreab, chair of the UCDavis Department of Animal Science and lead researcher on the studies, said the team nowhas “soundevidence that seaweed in cattle diet is effective at reducing green- house gases and that the efficacydoes not diminish over time.” Last summer, Kebreab and graduate student Breanna Roque added small amounts of seaweed to the diet of 21 beef cattle, then tracked the animals’ weight gain andmethane emissions. Their research showed cattle that con- sumed about 80 grams—3 ounces—of seaweed gained as much weight as their herd mates, but burped 82% less meth- ane into the atmosphere. The original study with dairy cows used seaweed as a diet supplement for two weeks. The new study with beef cat- tle sought to see whether methane re- ductions were sustainable over time, by feeding the animals a small amount of seaweed every day for five months. The cattle received the seaweed fromthe time they were young on the range through their later days on the feedlot. Results from a taste-test panel found no differences in the flavor of the beef from the seaweed-fed steers compared with a control group, UCDavis said, not- ing that similar tests with dairy cattle showed seaweed had no impact on the taste of milk. Theuniversity said scientists are study- ingways to farmthe type of seaweedused in the tests, Asparagopsis taxiformis, be- cause “there is not enoughof it in thewild for broad application.” Kebreab said his next sudy will look into how ranchers could provide sea- weed supplements to grazing cattle on the open range. UCDavis describedmethane as “a po- tent greenhouse gas.” It said agriculture is responsible for 10% of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., with half of that coming from cows and other ruminent animals that emit methane and other gases as they digest forages such as grass and hay. That fact has motivated some people
to suggest people eat less meat to help address climate change, but Kebreab said he sees cattle nutrition as a solution. “Only a tiny fraction of the Earth is fit for crop production,” he said. “Much more land is suitable only for grazing, so livestock plays a vital role in feeding the 10 billion people who will soon inhab- it the planet. Since much of livestock’s
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March 24, 2021 Ag Alert 15
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