What We’re Reading | Research shows feed additive cuts methane emissions at commercial feedlots

Canadian Cattlemen by Lisa Guenther

A recent two-year trial examined the effects of 3-NOP, an additive developed by Royal DSM, in the diets of both finishing and backgrounding cattle.

Recent research out of Alberta has confirmed that a novel feed additive cuts methane emissions from feedlot cattle by as much as 80 per cent, depending on the diet.

The beef industry is frequently criticized for its greenhouse gas contributions, particularly methane produced by rumen bacteria as cattle digest feed. But methane produced by cattle is part of a cycle that also sequesters carbon, a much more long-lived greenhouse gas. Any methane reductions in cattle production could help cool the atmosphere, at least in the short term, according to Dr. Frank Mitloehner of University of California, Davis.

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