This review reports on a study, Miller et al. (2013), that used the US Department of Agriculture – National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA-NASS) livestock inventory estimates for 2013 and methane emission rates per unit of feed dry matter intake from two large datasets to estimate total methane emission from enteric fermentation for the United States. The estimates are reported in this paper and are compared to and verified by US EPA and other studies.
Hristov A, Johnson K, Kebreab E
2014
PNAS
Nitrate may lower methane production in ruminants by competing with methanogenesis for available hydrogen in the rumen. This study evaluated the effect of 4 levels of dietary nitrate addition on enteric methane production, hydrogen emission, feed intake, rumen fermentation, nutrient digestibility, microbial protein synthesis, and blood methemoglobin. Digesta content from duodenum, ileum, and feces, and rumen liquid of cannulated dairy cows were collected, after which methane production and hydrogen emissions were measured in respiration chambers. Nitrate lowered methane production linearly with minor effects on rumen fermentation and no effects on nutrient digestibility.
Olijhoek D, Hellwing A, Brask M, Weisbjerg M, Højberg O, Larsen M, Dijstra J, Erlandsen E, Lund P
2016
Journal of Dairy Science
This paper explores the processes behind the decline in deforestation and provides an overview of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. Several hypotheses are investigated to further explore the deceleration of deforestation. Territorial approaches to deforestation have been effective and could consolidate progress in slowing deforestation while providing a framework for addressing other important dimensions of sustainable development.
Nepstad D, McGrath D, Stickler C, Alencar A, Azevedo A, Briana S, Bezerra T, MiGiano M, Shimada J, Seroa da Motta R, Armijo E, Castello L, Brando P, Hansen M, McGrath-Horn M, Carvalho O, Hess L
2014
Science
This paper reviewed uncertainties and discrepancies in CH4 inventories as related to livestock emissions, enteric CH4 measurement methods, and DMI and CH4 prediction models. Enteric CH4 prediction models were based on various animal or feed characteristic inputs but were dominated by DMI in one form or another. As a result, accurate prediction of DMI is essential for accurate prediction of livestock CH4 emissions. Analysis of a large data set of individual dairy cattle data showed that simplified enteric CH4 prediction models based on DMI alone or DMI and limited feed- or animal-related inputs can predict average CH4 emission with a similar accuracy to more complex empirical models. These simplified models can be reliably used for emission inventory purposes.
Hristov A, Kebreab E, Niu M, Oh J, Bannnk A, Bayat A, Boland T, Brito A, Casper D, Crompton L, Dijkstra J, Eugène M, Garnsworthy P, Haque N, Hellwing A, Huhtanen P, Kreuzer M, Kuhla B, Lund P, Madsen J, Martin C, Moate P, Muetzel S, Muñoz C, Peiren N, Powell J, Reynolds C, Schwarm A, Shingfield K, Storlein T, Weisbjerg M, Yáñez-Ruiz D, Yu Z
2018
Journal of dairy sciences
This publication intends to provide most recent information on the impact of animal feeds on food quality, food safety and the environment and to thus improve the basis for managing such risks. This review will cover the main issues which prompted developments in quality assurance and control of analysis. Information will also be given on accreditation of laboratories, together with useful addresses. Subsequent sections will describe standard and widely accepted methods, highlight areas that require particular attention and refer to recent developments in feed analysis. Topics covered will include: sample preparation, analysis of major components (dry matter, ash and minerals, crude protein, fat, fibers and starch) and of secondary plant products (tannins, mycotoxins and other contaminants). Developments in the analysis of whole samples by near infrared reflectance spectroscopy will be mentioned and the potential of this technique to by-pass traditional feed analysis by directly predicting animal responses. This review will only briefly mention a few chromatographic and mass spectrometric techniques in relation to analysis of secondary products.
FAO
2004
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: Rome, Italy.
This paper focuses on the potentials and limitations of some methods found appropriate to estimate the feed intake, energy value, and the protein value of feedstuffs.
Madsen J, Hvelplund T, Weisbjerg M
1997
Journal: Animal Feed Science and Technology
This paper presents results from a validation exercise implemented in Niger, where alternative survey instruments based on recall methods were administered to randomly selected households, and compared to a 12-month system of physical monitoring and recording of milk production. The results of the exercise show that reasonably accurate estimates via recall methods are possible, and provide a clear ranking of questionnaire design options that can inform future survey operations.
Zezza A, Federighi G, Kalilou A, Hiernaux P
2016
Journal: Food Policy
The International Committee for Animal Recording (ICAR) is a non-governmental organization that provides guidelines, standards and certification for animal identification, animal recording and animal evaluation. The Dairy Cattle Milk Recording Working Group of ICAR is responsible for ensuring that ICAR guidelines related to dairy cattle milk recording are up to date, and developing new guidelines as scientific knowledge advances. The webpage of the Dairy Cattle Milk Recording Working Group hosts research, project reports, and case studies on milk yield recording. Milk yield is a necessary piece of data for calculating Tier 2 estimates of enteric methane production by dairy cattle.
International Committee for Animal Recording (ICAR)
The International Committee for Animal Recording (ICAR) is a non-governmental organization that provides guidelines, standards and certification for animal identification, animal recording and animal evaluation. The ICAR Beef Cattle Production Recording Guidelines are intended to provide an international standard for beef recording. The guidelines present an overview of applied beef recording schemes, factor considerations, principles of beef data recording, specific recommendations for data collection, ultrasound measurements, test period feeding and test arrangements, health traits, tick count recording, carcass assessments, organization and execution of testing schemes, and data transfer.
The International Committee for Animal Recording (ICAR)
This guidebook presents a livestock module template for inclusion in multi-topic and agricultural household surveys in low- and middle-income countries. Its aim is to provide decision-makers and survey practitioners with a tool to collect data on the role of livestock in the household economy and its contribution to livelihoods. It focuses on the importance of livestock to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and on the limited information currently available for policy makers and stakeholders to make decisions promoting the sustainable development of the sector. The Guidebook presents the current state of affairs with regard to the coverage of the livestock sector in multi-topic living standard surveys, which are widely recognized as an effective tool to measure and understand the determinants of poverty and well-being. It also outlines the goals of the livestock module template, discusses the rationale and objectives, conveys the specifics of the proposed questionnaire, and includes a short synthesis of the Guidebook.
Zezza A, Pica-Ciamarra U, Mugera H, Mwisomba T, Okello P
2016
World Bank, Washington D.C.
