File photo of domestic hogs on a German farm. (FooTToo/iStock/Getty Images)

EU farmers could get cash to curb emissions from belching livestock

Brussels | Reuters — Farmers should get European Union funding to reduce methane emissions from livestock or increase organic farmland, the European Commission said on Thursday, under plans to make agriculture greener. The EU is nearing the end of a two-year battle to overhaul its massive farming subsidies scheme, to attempt to align the agriculture […] Read more

Comment: A little respect for consumers

Comment: A little respect for consumers

Sometimes I wonder if we should scrub the word “consumer” from the pages of this magazine. Ultimately, doing so wouldn’t be a practical move, as it is good shorthand for the role of the people at the end of the supply chain. But sometimes I wonder if it seems derogatory, defining people by how they […] Read more


A rendition, by Genitique, of the planned biomethanization plant to be built at Warwick, about 65 km southeast of Trois-Rivieres. (Groupe CNW/Energir)

Quebec ag co-op to power up on dairy cattle manure

About a dozen Quebec dairy farms will be getting their collective manure together next year for the province’s first-ever ag co-operative devoted to renewable natural gas. Coop Agri-Energie Warwick, launched Monday, plans to start construction this spring on a $12 million biomethanization plant which will take in slurry and manure from dairy cattle mixed with […] Read more



cattle in a feedlot

New supplement results in more beef and less methane

Feeding: News Roundup from the April 2018 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

Beef and dairy farmers around the world are looking for ways to reduce methane emissions from their herds to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To help meet this goal, researchers from Canada and Australia teamed up for a comprehensive three-year study to find the best feeding practices that reduce methane emissions while still supporting profitable dairy […] Read more



cattle feeding

Can feeding nitrate improve efficiency and reduce methane?

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

The rumen allows cattle to make highly nutritious beef out of things that humans can’t even digest. Rumen microbes have digestive enzymes that mammals don’t. This allows rumen microbes to break down complex feeds into very simple molecules, and reassemble those molecules into volatile fatty acids that the animal can absorb and use as an […] Read more

Research into the suitability of biochar as a livestock feed supplement will look for a reduction in methane or hydrogen emissions.

Biochar could be a game changer

Environment: News Roundup from the June 2017 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

A multi-pronged research project based in Alberta aims to assess whether feeding biochar in backgrounding and finishing rations could be a way to reduce methane emissions created during enteric fermentation in the ruminant digestive system. Biochar can be manufactured from any type of feedstock with a fibre component — wood waste from saw mills, coconut […] Read more


cattle in a feedlot

Locking down feedlot ammonia emissions

Sustainability: News Roundup from the May 2017 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

Innovative research is reshaping what is known about ammonia and related emissions from feedlots. And that new knowledge may help the industry to adjust its management, shape and react to public policy more effectively. “Livestock are significant emission contributors,” says Dr. Sean McGinn of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, a long-time researcher in the emissions area. […] Read more

Breeding for methane suppression and feed efficiency

Breeding for methane suppression and feed efficiency

Research: News Roundup from the October 3, 2016 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

A recent Alberta research project, known as GreenBeefCow, is designed to merge information between three ongoing studies into methane production and feed efficiency in beef cattle. Researchers in the GreenBeefCow project will evaluate biomarkers for methane production in cattle, investigate relationships between methane production and other methane-related traits, and then add this information to larger […] Read more