Less-Methane
2 min read
DairyNZ's Less-Methane team is exploring solutions to reduce methane emissions on New Zealand farms. While there are some technologies successful at reducing methane abroad, the challenge lies in adapting these, or developing new solutions that are effective in New Zealand's pasture-based systems. DairyNZ is supporting research into developing a range of solutions to reduce methane that are adoptable and viable in our pastoral farms. The team is focused on accurate national methane accounting to reward farmers' mitigation efforts.
New Zealand’s pasture-based farms produce low emissions by global standards. We want to retain and build on this advantage by developing viable and scalable solutions that work on NZ farms.
DairyNZ is working together with other research organisations and commercial companies to develop adoptable options that reduce methane and total GHG emissions on NZ dairy farms.
We aim to have methane mitigation options for New Zealand farms ready to be tested at scale by 2025. We want to have proven and adoptable solutions ready for farmers to use by 2030.
Methane reducing compounds are being used successfully overseas as they are continuously delivered to cows in feedlot or housed farming systems through total mixed rations (TMR). A challenge in NZ is finding how to best incorporate compounds into our pasture-based dairy farms. We are also studying the impact on animal health and performance, milk composition and quality, and farm economics.
It takes time to complete robust research into new solutions on New Zealand dairy farms, and many options also need regulatory approval.
Learn more about how methane and on-farm emissions are produced.
There are a lot of moving parts. Take a look at the breakdown below to see what's involved:
Feed additives
Cow diet
Animal
Farm system
Advocacy
There is no one-size-fits-all solution to methane mitigation on-farm, which is why our research team are working with farmers to help create a suite of methane mitigating 'packages' to suit a range of farm systems.
Farmers will have the freedom to choose what method they would like to adopt to reduce methane emissions on their farm.
This will allow farmers to choose the solutions which best fit their farm systems and farming goals.
Methane is a big topic and it’s a pressing concern for our sector. We need to reduce our emissions, while improving profitability – but how?
In this episode, recorded at DairyNZ’s Lye Farm, you’ll hear about the options being tested by our scientists. DairyNZ principal scientist Dr Jane Kay and technical team leader Olivia Jordan take us on a walk around Lye Farm’s world-class research facilities, explain when you might start seeing solutions, and discuss other methane research being done across the sector.
You can also hear more from Dr Jane Kay, in this earlier episode of Talking Dairy where she explains what tools offer the most promise to reduce emissions on New Zealand dairy farms.
Jane is interested in a wide range of research, including ruminant physiology, nutrition and metabolism; transition cow management; once-daily milking; and milk fat composition and manipulation. Jane leads DairyNZ’s Less Methane programme. She enjoys working with farmers and other stakeholders to provide solutions that help the dairy sector farm into the future.
Research team