Major New Study Targets Methane Emissions
Pointing the finger at methane-generating cattle as a key culprit in rising greenhouse gas emissions was a flavour-of- the-month headline news story a few years ago. But while mainstream media quickly moved on without delving too deeply, scientists throughout Canada continued asking the real questions and working on what might become crucial solutions.
LFS Professor & Canada Research Chair (Tier 1)
That includes LFS Professor Leluo Guan, Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Animal Function Genomics and Microbiome. Dr. Guan was recently awarded $7.9 million in NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) and SSHRC (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council) funding to head a crucial and wide-ranging five-year study into cattle methane emissions.
The project, a multidisciplinary collaboration between major institutions and researchers throughout Canada, aims to understand the complexities of methane-generating processes in the rumen microbiome of beef and dairy cattle—while also developing novel technologies and management strategies to make these processes as efficient as possible at inhibiting emissions.
The issues, says Dr. Guan, are just as pressing as those news headlines suggested. “Methane is the second most abundant anthropogenic greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide (CO2), but it has more than 28 times the global warming potential than CO2. Within all areas of methane production, agriculture is a quite high proportion. And within agriculture, ruminants are considered to be a major contributing factor due to their unique stomach properties.”
Understanding those properties has driven Dr. Guan’s research for many years. “We know that rumen microbial fermentation is essential to the growth and development of cattle and that methane formation is a necessary part of that process,” she says. “Rather than trying to stop these processes, we want to reduce the amount of methane they generate. In this study, that means looking at diet, nutrition, management and more.”
First, though, the project must chart how these processes work. “This is a data-driven investigation incorporating samples from 10,000 animals across Canada,” says Dr. Guan.
“Using metagenomic and machine learning analysis, we will study rumen microbes and their activity to identify the key microbes and hydrogen pathways that are used for methane synthesis and major fermentation products formation. By changing the hydrogen flow from being used for methane synthesis to short chain fatty acids production, we can provide more energy sources for cattle and lower the methane at the same time. By targeting the microbes involved in these pathways, we could ultimately to reach a ‘win-win’ situation.”
Exploring every angle, Dr. Guan has assembled a hugely diverse team for her study. From LFS, that includes animal welfare specialists Dr. Daniel Weary and Marina von Keyserlingk as well as reproduction expert Dr. Ronaldo Cerri, along with leading researchers from the University of Guelph, University of Alberta and University of Manitoba. In addition, there are key collaborators from the Semex Alliance and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
“We have scientists from all areas of ruminant microbiology and from different regions across Canada,” says Dr. Guan. “That’s important because each region has different cattle management techniques and different diets—grazing on pastures vs a grain-based concentrate diet for example—and our study needs to see how these different aspects impact methane formation.”
The project also includes a deep dive into cattle genetics, one of Dr. Guan’s personal specialties. “[In a previous study] we were the first to show that rumen microbes could be heritable in beef cattle,” she notes. “We want to build on that by showing that the right genetics are equally important in creating efficient rumen fermentation. That could include looking at calves’ genetics when they are born to determine whether they will become efficient and produce less methane.”
As the project unfolds, Dr. Guan anticipates many challenges. “The rumen microbiome is very complicated and the
factors affecting its function constantly change, as do the interrelationships between those factors. Another issue will be the vast amount of cross-Canada data the study must process. We’ll need to think very carefully about unifying the different formats for data collection in each part of the country.”
Those aren’t the only potential barriers to ultimately reducing cattle methane emissions in agriculture, she adds. “Farmers will need to be persuaded of the value before they are going to be interested in any new tools and approaches. Cost is a big issue, of course, and that means working on ways to help them transition viably and effectively.”
The time is ripe, though, for change. The country’s beef industry aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 33 percent by 2030, while dairy farmers are targeting carbon neutrality by 2050. Specifically reducing methane emissions is essential to meeting these goals—while also helping Canada attain its overall commitment of establishing a net-zero economy.
As her study gears up, Dr. Guan remains positive about the outcomes. “I am very excited to be working with such a great team of scientists from across Canada. I’m also looking forward to learning about their different perspectives and, together, developing real-world solutions,” she says. “I believe this project has huge potential for improving the sustainability and production efficiency of cattle—and ultimately changing things for the better.”
