Cattle Methane Project

Paul Kononoff, Professor of Animal Science, hooks up Lila, a 10-month-old jersey cow, in the portable booth, where her breath will be measured and sampled to determine the amount of methane produced by the animal. To measure the gas, a cow is surrounded by a phone-booth like structure where the cow eats and drinks as the air is collected and sampled. December 15, 2023. Photo by Craig Chandler / University Communication and Marketing.

Research Funded by USDA-NIFA Grant

This research project was made possible by a $5 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agriculture to research more sustainable dairy and beef production by studying the interrelationships among animal genetics, the gut microbiome and nutrition, with the ultimate goal of developing tools and management practices that can lower methane emissions from livestock.

The research team is composed of University of Nebraska–Lincoln faculty members from the Department of Animal Science and Department of Biological Systems Engineering, along with researchers from the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Nebraska. 

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Ruminant-based agriculture plays a vital role in feeding a growing global population but is also a major source of methane emissions, driven by microbial processes.  This project aims to investigate the genetic, dietary, and microbial factors that affect methanogenesis in cattle, develop targeted intervention and microbiome colonization strategies, and rapidly deliver science-based solutions and extension outreach programs to reduce methane emissions in both dairy and beef production systems.