A FEED supplement developed by The University of Adelaide to reduce methane emissions in beef cattle and improve animal performance has been trialled in the South East.
The pellet, which has a metabolisable energy of 11.9 megajoules a kilogram of dry matter, 90.6 per cent DM, 16.1pc crude protein and 27.1pc neutral digestible fibre was tested on young Angus heifers at Ben and Samantha Glatz's property at Avenue Range over a seven-week period.
It contains byproducts available in SA, such as grape marc, lucerne offal, and canola meal, all of which have specific methane-inhibiting properties.
It also contains Monensin, an antibiotic which has been found to increase feed efficiency by 7.5pc.
Measurements were taken using two 'Green Feed' units imported from the United States, which were on display at the More Meat, Less Gas, Higher Profits Nutrition Workshop.
The machines can be used to measure methane emissions from large numbers of individual animals on a daily basis without the need for the animals to be in enclosed gas chambers.
As each animal walks up the race and puts its head in the sensor, its RFID tag is read and the allocated amount of feed dropped from the feed bin. While the animal is feeding a fan draws air over its head and past its nose and mouth into a specially designed manifold and air handling system. At the same time, high-resolution measurements of airflow rates, gas concentrations, and other environmental parameters are recorded.
The animals in one treatment group have been fed up to 30pc of their energy requirements in the methane reducing pellet while another pen has been fed a barley based pellet. Both pens have had access to ad lib hay.
The feed is distributed throughout the course of the day to determine diurnal differences in methane output.
* Full report in Stock Journal, July 3, 2014 issue.
Catherine Miller
Stock Journal's livestock editor and South East correspondent.
Stock Journal's livestock editor and South East correspondent.
