Feed ingredient reduces cow methane production

MADISON, Wis. — Dairymen can reduce the methane produced by their cows with the addition of the feed ingredient Bovaer to the ration.

“Bovaer inhibits the last step of methane formation in the rumen,” said Sara Kvidera, dairy technical consultant for Elanco Animal Health. “It is connecting the needs of the dairy food industry to reduce emissions with how we can do it on the farm.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced in May that Elanco Animal Health’s Bovaer meets safety and efficacy requirements for use in lactating dairy cattle.

“Bovaer comes in a granulated powder form and the feeding rate is about 15 grams that is fed through a pre-mix in a TMR,” said Kvidera from the Elanco booth at the World Dairy Expo. “It is added to the premix to make sure it’s mixed evenly.”

Researchers have found no negative impacts from adding Bovaer to dairy rations.

“There is quite a bit of research out of Penn State and there is no concern for negative impacts on productivity, dry matter intake or digestibility,” Kvidera said. “There’s a lot of data to support that it’s healthy for the animal.”

This feed ingredient is much different than other feed additives.

“You’re not looking for something in the milk or a productivity response — it’s a return on investment,” Kvidera said.

“A lot of food companies have made goals to reduce emissions by a certain amount and 70% to 75% of their emissions come through their supply chain that would include a dairy farm,” the technical consultant said.

“Of those on-farm emissions, probably 35% are enteric, the cow burping methane,” she said. “One way for food companies to reduce emissions is for dairy farms to use an additive like Bovaer that reduces methane.”

Dairy farms that utilize Bovaer will enter their data to quantify the amount of reduction based on each farm’s unique data.

“We take that quantification and put it into a carbon marketplace where we’re connecting food companies with farms,” Kvidera said. “The need is from the food companies and farmers are supplying the reduction and then the farm gets paid for that reduction.”

A lot of the dairy industry experience has been with offsets.

“A company will install a digester and that company pays the dairy to reduce their emissions,” Kvidera said.

“We’re trying to build an inset credit market where all the reductions take place within the value chain,” she said. “The dairy food company reduces emissions within their own chain rather than looking to reduce emissions outside of their chain.”

Many food companies work with the carbon marketplace, Athian.

“That connects Consumer Packaged Goods companies with emission reduction projects,” Kvidera said.

“Our No. 1 goal is to get $20 to $25 per head per lactation to producers that are using Bovaer,” she said. “The cost of Bovaer is 49 cents per head per day.”

One of the beautiful things about feed ingredients is dairymen have a choice.

“If it’s not profitable for them, they can pull it out of the diet,” Kvidera said. “They can feed it today and take it out tomorrow — they have the control.”

There are two costs for dairymen to feed Bovaer. In addition to the cost of the product, there is a commission to the carbon market.

“The carbon market has to connect the dots and verify the product was fed and the number of cows that were fed to give trust to the CPGs that what they’re investing in is real,” Kvidera said.

Dairymen can receive two sources of revenue.

“The first source is the money the CPG company is paying the dairy to reduce emissions,” Kvidera said. “The second source is government incentives that are needed over the next few years to make sure the value is there for the producer to get this started.”

Government incentives are currently available in some milk sheds.

“The milk sheds have to apply for the government incentives,” Kvidera said.

“The dairy farm has to be connected to the milk shed that has received government incentives and the farm also has to be tied to carbon buyer,” she said.

“There are a couple of boxes you have to check to be eligible and we’re continuing to work with processors to pursue more incentives to make them available to dairymen.”

Dairymen can learn more about Bovaer from their Elanco representative or at www.creditforgood.com.

For more information about Elanco Animal Health products, go to www.elanco.com.