Study assesses methane

A new study conducted at the Ellinbank SmartFarm has found a biological feed supplement for livestock reduces methane emissions in dairy cattle.

The feed supplement, Mylo, was already scientifically-proven to lift weight gain and improve health in calves, and it has been shown to increase milk productivity, and reduce somatic cell count in cows.

But Terragen managing director and chief executive officer Jim Cooper said the new study, based at Australia’s pre-eminent dairy research facility Ellinbank SmartFarm, showed the product also reduced methane emissions from cows.

“In the study, the cows not on Mylo emitted 7.5 per cent more methane per litre of milk,” Mr Cooper said.

“The average Australian dairy farm, which has 350 cows,- whose cows are being fed Mylo and emitting less methane would be producing the equivalent of 100 tonnes less carbon dioxide per year. “This is a reduction in CO2 emissions of almost 300kg per cow, per year,” he said.

Mr Cooper said cows that received the baseline dose of 10ml of Mylo per day gained 21 per cent more weight than the control cows over a five-week period, a finding which has benefits for the broader cattle industry.

“Our company is changing the face of global agriculture, harnessing the power of nature through world-class science, and improving animal wellbeing, soil quality and crop growth,” he said.

Mr Cooper said ongoing research at Ellinbank SmartFarm was planned to determine if higher doses of Mylo would reduce methane emissions further.

Terragen chief scientist Martin Soust said the study at the Ellinbank SmartFarm showed Mylo could reduce methane emitted by a cow, increase milk production, and improve feed conversion efficiency.

The study was conducted at Agriculture Victoria’s Ellinbank SmartFarm in October and November 2021. Forty lactating Holstein-Friesian cows were used in the study. The study ran for 40 days (five days baseline without the experimental diet, 30 days adaptation with the experimental diet and five days of methane measurements with the experimental diet.

The modified sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) tracer technique was used to estimate methane emissions from individual cows. Milk production from individual cows was measured at each milking. Liveweight of each individual cow was recorded twice daily.