Kelp has been used by ranchers in coastal areas for decades as a feed additive. This nutrient-dense sea vegetable is a great source of micronutrients and some farmers who feed it also make anecdotal claims, such as reduced incidence of pink eye and healthier cattle.
Reports coming out of Australia showing a reduction in methane emissions in cattle when fed kelp and the easy access to this resource in the Maritimes inspired Dr. John Duynisveld of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to initiate a research project studying methane reduction through the feeding of kelp to cattle in Canada.
This study suggests that with adding a relatively low level of kelp into the diet of beef heifers, there was an 11 to 14 percent reduction in methane emissions. With the cattle industry looking for a 30 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030, “that’s getting us almost halfway there,” Duynisveld says.
Other variables being monitored in the study were feed intake and animal growth rate. While there was no difference in animal feed intake, there were big differences in animal gains, however variability in the data more than likely contributed to some of those differences.
With this project coming to an end, Duynisveld says that the next step is to start taking these findings to farms and incorporating kelp into daily management practices. The hope is to be able to measure methane emissions from cattle receiving this supplement at farm scale.
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