I have been asked to attend a meeting on the above subject - basically it means breeding cattle to produce less methane, as it is possibly an inherited trait. A recent published paper did not link it to any particular breed but said that there are likely to be animals in most breeds that produce less methane than others on particular diets. A brief read around the subject suggests it may be linked with feed efficiency. How do cattle breeders feel about possibly changing their current breeding programmes to aim for reducing methane production? (Personally I do not agree with the whole “cattle causing global warming bandwagon” as you might expect but if government officials like the sound of this, we may have to think about it.) Anyone like to comment? Anyone already doing this?
Microbiome driven breeding
- Thread starter Cowgirl
- Start date
Andrew_Ni
Member
- Location
- Seaforde Co.Down
I couldn’t care less what level of emissions my farm is supposed to be responsible for. 35% of the worlds population live in either China and India, currently they can’t burn coal fast enough. The uk could be nuked of the face of the earth tomorrow and it wouldn’t make a dent in apparently “saving the planet”.
Breeding cattle to produce less biogenic methane, which is part of a cycle and has been for a lot longer than the use of fossil fuels, isn’t a priority.
Breeding cattle to produce less biogenic methane, which is part of a cycle and has been for a lot longer than the use of fossil fuels, isn’t a priority.
Absolutely- quite agree, but if it was shown to be linked with feed efficiency and say governments offered you money for doing it (not saying that’s going to happen, but it might), would that change the way you feel?
- Location
- N.Lincs
According to this chap, grazing cattle produce 10 times the amount of free radicals than are needed to recycle their own methane emissions anyway...
. .it appears that those 9 times 'excess' free radicals are therefore available to recycle methane from other sources.
Like you say, cows are part of the answer, not part of the problem
Like you say, cows are part of the answer, not part of the problem
Andrew_Ni
Member
- Location
- Seaforde Co.Down
Not one bit. Gov can say what they like and promise a payment but can be dropped immediately at a change of government.
That’s a useful video to show them - thanks. However I just would like to know if anyone would consider it (especially if there was funding for it?) I have a horrible feeling that the people I’m going to meet are so entrenched in their ideas there will be nothing I can say to dissuade them that this is a brilliant idea. I have a feeling that our farming leaders are going along with it.
That’s interesting- thanks.
- Location
- N.Lincs
The 'let's bash grazing livestock bandwagon' is fast becoming an out of control juggernaut.
Big carbon producing polluters see Agriculture as an easy target to deflect attention away from themselves.
I've never been much of a conspiracy theorist but it does seem that we are, on a daily basis, becoming victims of one.
I'd urge you to 'push back' as vigourously as possible at yor meeting.
There's plenty of good ammunition in @devonbeef 's thread in Agricultural Matters ....
AGRICULTURAL DEFENCE RESOURCES THREAD PART 1
This thread is being opened after much thought by a group of your fellow TFF members. I think you will all agree that this resource is very much needed. I am sure, like us, you find that on a daily basis you read and hear falsehoods from the media, organisations, Government quangos, etc. At...
thefarmingforum.co.uk
Obviously anything that can reduce the world's methane is a good thing but it's madness to start with grazing livestock - there's far worse problems to tackle first.
"If it aint broke, don't mend it"
M-J-G
Member
Ruminant methane isn't an issue, so I'd class solving actual problems to be time better spent.
Woolless
Member
- Location
- Berwickshire, Scottish Borders
Unintended consequences would be what would worry me. Feed conversion efficiency more important for those finishing on an intensive diet than converting green Ayrshire grass into delicious beef.
@yellowbelly I haven't made a tinfoil hat either but I have my suspicions. No sterimatic stuff now, vaccines difficult to source, constant criticism in the press etc etc. Watching Clarkson's Farm last night and it made me despair of what this country in particular has become.
@yellowbelly I haven't made a tinfoil hat either but I have my suspicions. No sterimatic stuff now, vaccines difficult to source, constant criticism in the press etc etc. Watching Clarkson's Farm last night and it made me despair of what this country in particular has become.
- Location
- Carmarthenshire, West Wales
World needs more cattle, just we need to change how we graze them, then we would be really motoring on Carbon sequestration (and stopping desertification too)
I agree with everyone but the problem is that no matter how often we say it, the powers that be remain convinced that we need to do something about methane from cows! I agreed to go to the meeting because I think by agreeing to discussion we may get further than just saying « it’s all rubbish ». There is a lot of very interesting science behind it - that the host has a genetic influence over the type of methanogenic organisms which inhabit the rumen. I suspect we’ll end up with it being another genomic selection trait with EBVs. Personally I would be prepared to use it as one of a range of traits for selecting breeding stock, but it wouldn’t be an important one on the list.
@Cowgirl --this type of research is already underway in Australia, NZ, Uruguay, Ireland, Norway using PAC (Portable accumulation chambers) in sheep , it's probably been done with cattle but i just don't know about it. Some of the projects have found a decent genetic variation on methane and FE .But I think more data is needed to be able to draw comparisons between the two traits
People do tend to get carried away when the word methane is mentioned in connection with ruminants but i just like to think that Lower methane=higher efficiency ?
One of the best ways to reduce overall system emissions /increase efficiency is to reduce days to slaughter or other current metrics ---however if rate of methane emission is heritable and increases FE then it makes sense to measure and select on this trait as well
Farmers often react to this type of project by reminding everyone that it's a methane cycle and that cows don't add to atmospheric levels ---but if that is the case then in theory if you reduce the cow emissions then your overall cycle will actually result in higher net sequestration which means that cows will be positive contributors
Let us know how you get on ---it will be interesting
People do tend to get carried away when the word methane is mentioned in connection with ruminants but i just like to think that Lower methane=higher efficiency ?
One of the best ways to reduce overall system emissions /increase efficiency is to reduce days to slaughter or other current metrics ---however if rate of methane emission is heritable and increases FE then it makes sense to measure and select on this trait as well
Farmers often react to this type of project by reminding everyone that it's a methane cycle and that cows don't add to atmospheric levels ---but if that is the case then in theory if you reduce the cow emissions then your overall cycle will actually result in higher net sequestration which means that cows will be positive contributors
Let us know how you get on ---it will be interesting
ollie989898
Member
Wetlands are huge contributors to methane, yet folk like the RSPB want to create ever more of these and the EA seem more than happy to flood any amount of land without a care in the world?
Thanks Tim W - it’s interesting to hear that work is going on in sheep. The emphasis is always on cows but sheep are surely just as important. Those trying to counteract the “cows are bad” propaganda are unfortunately losing the media and political battle despite all our efforts and we are not being backed up strongly enough by those who ought to be supporting us. As someone who has always strongly believed that ruminants were designed to eat grass, not man made concentrates, and that animals should have a decent quality of life, it saddens me that the “less time on the planet” brigade are gaining traction in the debate, and I’d like to think that there might be an alternative to just reducing age at slaughter by intensive feeding, which has its own carbon footprint in terms of manufacturing and transport. In the long run, perhaps selection for less methane if linked to feed efficiency would benefit the animals and us, but the experiments have to look at performance on forage diets as well as concentrates.
Probably a good ticked the box for trying thing.
ringi
Member
As AI is normal for cows a single top bull makes more money and passes on his DNA much more then rams. Diary farming system often have measured feeding already integrated into milking and automatically record the milk output of each cow.
- Location
- East Sussex
Work is going on as @TimW says on sheep and cattle around the world.
One of the most effective ways of reducing methane is to change diets. Feeding sea weed has been shown to reduce methane by up to 30% in cattle diets.
There are also a number of other methods, including increasing the amount of oxygen in water.
However the changes in livestock are insignificant as the main issue is over population and the relentless levels of fossil fuels being burnt!
One of the most effective ways of reducing methane is to change diets. Feeding sea weed has been shown to reduce methane by up to 30% in cattle diets.
There are also a number of other methods, including increasing the amount of oxygen in water.
However the changes in livestock are insignificant as the main issue is over population and the relentless levels of fossil fuels being burnt!