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Effective strategies to
reduce the carbon footprint
of dairy cattle

Methane from cows, commonly known as cow methane, contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Livestock, including cattle, are responsible for about 35% of anthropogenic methane emissions in the US. Methane, despite being emitted in smaller quantities compared to carbon dioxide, has a more potent warming effect. Therefore, it is crucial to address cow methane emissions to combat climate change effectively. This article explores the sources of methane emissions from cows, the impact of methane on the climate, and strategies for reducing cow methane emissions.

Responsible trace mineral management is critical to health and performance of dairy cows but also to the environmental footprint of dairy farming. Modern dairy cows have increased levels of production and metabolic stress. Soil balances, crop varieties and fertilisers are changing. Under supply of trace minerals can result in poor performance while over use of trace minerals raises environmental concerns.

Learn from Dr. Ermias Kebreab, Associate Dean and Professor of Animal Science at the University of California, Davis, a renowned expert in animal nutrition and environmental impact, about effective strategies to reduce the carbon footprint of dairy cattle, such as the use of methane reducing feed additives.

Discover methods to minimize methane production in cows and achieve net zero livestock production by 2050. Explore the valuable insights shared during the webinar "Effective strategies to reduce the carbon footprint of dairy cattle" and learn how different stakeholders in the industry can contribute to reducing methane emissions from cattle and dairy carbon footprint.

Dr. Mike Hutjens explains that feed efficency of dairy cows is an important performance indicator to improve sustainability and profitability of dairy farming. Feed efficiency in dairy cows can vary between <1.3 and >2.0. Digestibility of feed is one of the factors with a big impact on feed efficiency of dairy cattle.

Professor Santos from the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Florida discusses how to calculate feed efficiency of dairy cows and how it impacts dairy performance. Residual Feed Intake of dairy cows is a very accurate parameter to calculate feed efficiency of dairy cattle. It can be improved by genetic selection, nutritional tools and dairy management.

A trial showed that feeding IntelliBond hydroxy trace minerals instead of sulphates improved rumen health, and increased NDF digestibility, production of volatile fatty acids and production of milk in dairy cows, resulting in an increase of feed efficiency.