Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production · 2002 · 82 citations · 4 references
AgricultureAnimal SciencesDairy ScienceLivestock ProductionRuminant NutritionSustainable Livestock SystemsAgricultural Emissions ReductionBiogas ProductionDairy ProductionGreenhouse Gas MitigationLivestock NutritionMethane MitigationAgricultural Methane ReductionLivestock Methane MitigationMethaneMethane EmissionsMethane Emissions MeasurementMethane Mitigation PathwaysMethane Mitigation PolicyTotal Mixed Ration Feeding
This paper examines the significance of ruminant methane emissions for the NZ dairy industry at a time when NZ is about to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. We consider factors for practical methane mitigation, and a broad based research strategy for the development of measures to reduce methane emissions. A key factor in the process is the integration of methane mitigation research into existing research programs. We were able to incorporate methane measurements into a trial evaluating the performance of two dairy cow genotypes fed contrasting diets. Overseas genotypes produced 811% less methane, as a percentage of gross energy (GE) intake, compared to New Zealand genotypes and total mixed rations (TMR) resulted in similar energy losses to methane (% of GE) as pasture.
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