South Australian farmer Hyder Tiller explains his decision to use CH4 Global’s methan tamer seaweed-based food supplement to reduce feedlot methane emissions.
This year I made the decision to think that it would change the way we do business in my feedlot forever. After years of testing, they began supplying seaweed supplements to all 1,500 cows at feedlots in South Australia, about two and a half hours north of Adelaide near Port Pilly. It’s a big step, but it makes perfect sense when you look at the broader picture facing numbers and livestock farmers.
Methane emissions in the cattle industry
The problem with methane emissions has been hanging like a dark cloud in the cattle industry for years. For those who don’t spend their days around cows, here’s the problem. All cows naturally produce methane in their stomachs when they digest grass and food, and release it when they burp. While that may sound harmless enough, methane is actually 80 times stronger than carbon dioxide when it comes to trapping heat in the atmosphere. And when we consider that there are 1.5 billion cattle on Earth, we understand why livestock agriculture is one of the biggest artificial sources out there.
I remember years ago when they first started talking about farms where they had to plant trees to offset the emissions from livestock. Farmers like me were worried because the numbers didn’t add up. How did you intend to plant many of those trees? There are no farms left to actually farm! Like many people in this business, I hope something comes.
How it all started
About five years ago, a friend of mine told me about a company called Ch4 Global. They were working with a red seaweed called asparagopsis. Asparagopsis actually runs off the coast of South Australia. The study showed that addition to cattle feed dramatically reduced methane production. My friend thought it sounded promising, so he contacted CH4 Global and then involved me.
I’ve always loved trying new things and keeping up to the latest technology. When I heard what they were doing with asparagopsis, I thought: “Well, this is probably the way to go to the world.” You try to do the best with all the animals you produce, and want to keep it as clean and green as possible.
What immediately impressed me was that CH4 Global wasn’t just sitting in the office where he dreamed of things. It’s the right company operating in several countries and its CEO, Steve Meller, looked like a really nice guy when I spoke to him.
Building on feedback
A few years ago, I did my first test of the prototype freeze-dried asparagopsis provided by CH4 Global. The first exam was rather small – only 10, and 10 without it, were fed for 90 days. The beef was not worried about it at all and there was no problem with the taste. However, the product was completely different from what we currently use. It was more crumbly and dusty – not ideal for getting an even mix through our feed wagon.
This is where things became interesting. CH4 Global asked me what I was thinking and they were actually listening to feedback. I told them they need a very consistent product that can evenly blend into the mixer and ensure uniform consumption. Feedlotting is about getting those small percentages right. Get the distribution spot and achieve the best feed conversion possible.
CH4 Global returned to the drawings and formulated an Asparagopsis-based feed additive called methantamer. By the time we had a bigger implementation trial last year, we had been using methane tamers to significantly refine our products, even without 80 or 80. It was much more even and consistent. All the differences in the US have been manipulated due to improved handling.
In that second exam, the cows were closely monitored. Every morning I checked my feed bunk to make sure I was eating everything, weighed for the two weeks and carefully tracked my performance.
What we found was amazing. Metan tamer cows had a slightly lower feed, but achieved the same weight gain as the control group. This represents a few percent improvement in feed conversion efficiency over a 100-day period. Such margins are extremely important in feedlot operations.
When you think about it, the science behind this makes sense. Studies dating back decades have shown that when cows produce methane they inherently lose feed energy, which could otherwise lead to growth. By blocking that methane production, more energy from the feed is redirected to putting weight on or making milk instead of burning as gas.
Why am I at everyone?
In my experience, the best solutions in agriculture are both environmentally and economically meaningful, and ideally, it is not ideal to involve a swarm of synthetic chemicals that make consumers worry about what is happening with their food. Metan tamer checks all these boxes. That’s why we committed the entire operation to this approach, which is why we believe that other feedlot operators will follow if they confirm the results.
What excites me the most is that it’s a good situation for both the real people. Farmers gain better feed conversion efficiency and access to premium markets. Consumers get high quality beef by reducing their environmental footprint. The planet will then receive meaningful reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. CH4 Global estimates that only 10% of cows worldwide are supplied with this seaweed supplement will provide more climate benefits than robbing 50 million cars from the road.
I won’t lie, there’s still a challenge ahead. We have worked with our partners to establish a dedicated distribution channel for low methane beef, and we need to educate our consumers about what this means. But these are good issues. They are the kind of challenges that come with being at the forefront of industry transformation.
The way I see it, this innovation is moving on the path to addressing environmental concerns without taking the industry fundamentally into consideration. They are not asked to plant trees throughout the facility or reduce the size of the herd. We are provided natural solutions that make operation more efficient while dealing with methane problems head-on.
After seeing this technology develop for years and seeing the results first hand, we are sure we have found something that works. Cattle produce healthy beef, with improved operational efficiency and dramatically smaller environmental footprints. For an industry that has been under pressure for years, it’s exactly the kind of breakthrough we need.
Hyder Tiller runs HB Rural in feedlots in South Australia.
This article is also featured in Animal Health Special Focus Publication.
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