TITLE:
Reduction of Enteric Methane Emission in a Commercial Dairy Farm by a Novel Feed Supplement
AUTHORS:
Hilde Vrancken, Maria Suenkel, Paul R. Hargreaves, Lynette Chew, Edward Towers
KEYWORDS:
Rumen Fermentation, Enteric Methane Mitigation, Milk Yield, Laser Methane Detector, Dairy Farm
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Animal Sciences,
Vol.9 No.3,
June
21,
2019
ABSTRACT: Several in vitro fermentation studies had demonstrated the efficacy of Mootral, a patent-pending natural feed supplement, in reducing methane gas production. In order to test the supplement’s application in a commercial farm, Jersey (n = 121) and Holstein-Friesian (HF, n = 275) lactating cows received 500 g of pellets containing 3% Mootral powder for 12 weeks. Their enteric methane gas production was monitored using a hand-held laser methane detector. During 7 weeks of pre-Mootral supplementation period, dry matter intake (DMI), milk yield and milk quality (fat, protein, urea, pH, bulk tank somatic cell count (BTSCC)) were monitored for both herds and continued during 12 weeks of Mootral supplementation (Mootral period), and 4 weeks after withdrawal of Mootral (post-Mootral period). Feed samples were analysed during each period, and feed efficiencies (FE) for each herd were calculated. Compared to the baseline, the methane gas produced by the Jersey and HF cows during the Mootral period were lower by 38.3% and 20.7% (p