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Research tackles greenhouse gas emissions in beef cattle production

A five-year study to measure greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from beef cattle operations is underway at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Lethbridge Research Centre. Researchers will examine how different management strategies can alter GHG emissions and determine environmentally sustainable production practices.

"The study is using a 'model farm' approach to document GHG emission patterns for various Canadian beef cattle operations," says Dr. Sean McGinn, a research scientist with the Environmental Health Program at AAFC. "A number of factors will be analyzed, with particular emphasis on the effect of diet on emissions. Based on the results, management practices can be introduced that will help reduce GHG emissions from beef cattle."

This research is part of a national effort to understand GHG emissions for Canadian farming systems prompted by the Kyoto Protocol, says McGinn. A number of research institutions will examine various agricultural systems for GHG emissions and then develop a picture of the overall effect of different farming practices.

"Many factors influence GHG emissions from beef cattle and we have divided our study into three phases, gradually expanding our scope, in order to document and fully understand these factors," says McGinn. The first phase involves studying individual animals indoors under controlled conditions. Second, studies will be performed outdoors on pens of about 15 animals each. In the last phase, the research will move to a commercial feedlot setting.

Various feeding regimens will be evaluated in the first two phases of the study, says McGinn. "We know that emissions vary with the different stages of beef production. By imitating the gradual change from forage-based to grain-based diets, we can document emission patterns throughout the lifecycle of an animal."

Additional diet regimen studies will include varying forage-to-concentrate ratios, comparing corn-based versus barley-based diets and examining the effect of different feed processing techniques and feed additives on GHG emissions, he adds. "We hope to come up with recommendations for new practices that will help producers reduce GHG emissions from beef cattle."

The outline for the third phase of the study - the commercial feedlot - is being developed based on the outcome of the first phases. The goal, however, is to get a picture of whole farm emissions.

It is a common misconception that manure is the biggest culprit in methane emissions from cattle, says McGinn. In reality, about 80 percent of the methane is created during feed metabolism and released through the mouth as the animal burps.

"The technology to measure emissions is quite sophisticated and involves the use of laser equipment," says McGinn. "To determine emissions, lasers are set up to send beams through the air above the animals, or upwind and downwind of a pen. The laser beams are tuned to a wavelength that is specific to the emitted compound, in our case methane. If methane molecules are present in the air, the beam will agitate them similar to how microwaves selectively agitates water molecules to make food warm."

It takes energy to agitate molecules, he continues. The energy that the laser beams lose along their paths can be measured and is equivalent to the concentration of methane gas present in the air.

"Our study has been designed to gradually expand from small to large scale," says McGinn. Other researchers across the country that are part of the national initiative are taking the same approach. As the project comes to an end in 2007, data will provide for a perceptive picture of GHG emissions balance in Canadian farming systems."

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Lethbridge Research Centre has a mandate to promote innovation for growth, maintain security of the food system and protect the health of the environment.

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