Source: RDAR
“Outcomes from this research will benefit both the producers in lowering feed cost
in their practice and reducing the negative environmental impact by lowering greenhouse gas emissions”
How will this research impact Alberta’s agriculture industry?
Methane emissions from ruminants (sheep, bison and related mammals) represent a significant dietary energy loss to the animal’s growth and contribute to agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. Lowering enteric methane missions can help to enhance profits and limit the carbon footprint from ruminant and cattle production systems.
Currently available compounds for methane mitigation in ruminants are either costly and need to be included as feed additives, are not long-lasting and often are unable to meet regulatory approval, limiting their application on farms.
The concept and developed technology from this research project could be extended to any microbial species of interest in the future for performance traits and applied to animals both in feedlots and on pasture.
Why did RDAR invest in this research project?
Genomics applied to agriculture will help move the whole industry forward. This study aims to develop a novel and effective genomics-based approach that can be applied to lower methane emissions from cattle.
Canada has committed to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 as part of the international collaborations to deal with climate change. This project will provide a science supported foundation to develop novel RNAi based microbial manipulation solutions for methane mitigation for farmed ruminants, which would benefit both the producers in lowering feed cost in their practice and reducing the negative environmental impact by lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
How will research knowledge be transferred and shared with producers?
Principal Investigator Dr. Guan is part of Livestock Gentec, the world leading center for livestock genomics research. The findings of this project will also be promoted through educational workshops through Livestock Gentec.
The outcomes from the proposed study will be published in high impact peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international scientific conferences so that the results are available to the scientific community.
The research team also plan to write articles/newsletters for the Western Producer or Canadian Cattlemen’s Magazine, as well as Feed Update. We also will contribute to the newsletters for websites of various organizations such as Alberta Beef Producers and, Alberta Cattle Feeders Association and the Saskatchewan Cattleman’s Association.
