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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Madison, Wisconsin » U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center » Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #397018
Research Project: Improving Sustainability of Dairy and Forage Production Systems for the Upper Midwest

Location: Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management Research

Title: Cattle performance and enteric methane emissions from cattle grazing three different systems

Author
item GARCIA, LIZA - University Of Florida
item DUBEUX, JOSE - University Of Florida
item Jaramillo, David
item SANTOS, ERICK - University Of Alberta

Submitted to: Meeting Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/23/2022
Publication Date: 7/23/2022
Citation: Garcia, L., Dubeux, J., Jaramillo, D.M., Santos, E. 2022. Cattle performance and enteric methane emissions from cattle grazing three different systems. Meeting Proceedings. July 21-23, 2022. Medellin, Colombia.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The introduction of legumes in grazing systems could potentially reduce the use of nitrogen (N) fertilizers, increase animal performance, and reduce enteric methane emissions. The objective of this study was to assess animal performance and enteric methane emissions in three perennial grass-based grazing systems. The grazing experiment was conducted at the University of Florida, North Florida Research and Education Center. Treatments were replicated in three blocks in a randomized complete block design and consisted in N-fertilized pasture, pasture without fertilizer and mixture of pasture with legumes. Cattle were continuously stocked and weighed every 28 days. The SF6 tracer technique was used to measure enteric methane emissions. The grass-legume mixtures offer greater crude protein and digestibility to the diet of the cattle grazing, and cattle performed similarly to a system with N-fertilized grasses. When rhizoma peanut was included in bahiagrass pastures, average daily gain (ADG) of cattle increased by 70%, and the gain per area was similar to that with systems that included N fertilizer. Emission intensity in g of CH4 per kg of ADG had a season × treatment interaction (P<0.01), averaging 177, 140, and 123 in the cool season, and 397, 448, and 225 in the warm season for N-fertilized, grass without fertilizer, and mixture of grass-legumes treatments, respectively. Integrating forage legumes resulted in greater cattle gain (per animal and per area) and tended to reduce methane emission intensity in the cool season.