We want the animal to capture more of the energy from the forage. As much as 25 percent of the energy in feed is wasted through methane emissions, and the focus of his project is to find out what cattle eat that gives them gas. In the past, animal agriculture has often focused on reproduction as the means to increase efficiency. That has shifted now, he says, to extracting the most energy from the feed and the digestive tract. He hopes to devise feeding systems that optimize the digestive process and reduce animal waste.
Less waste means less disposal problems.
The second goal of the project is to study the role of methane in global warming. Byers points out, however, animal production only contributes about 10 percent of the 550 million metric tons of methane produced annually. The enclosure, which is 80 feet by 80 feet, was developed by ARS scientists in Georgia. Sharpe's interest in the project lies in how this can help them measure methane production from chemical and natural fertilizers on crops, as well as production from animal waste lagoons. Inside the enclosure, any methane the cattle emit is collected into capillary tubes on 16 lines placed four deep on each side of the enclosure.