Guelph, Ontario, Canada â€" As social and political criticism increasingly focuses on agriculture, Semex is introducing a genetic solution that can reduce methane emissions 20-30% by 2050.
“Just like we did with Immunity+®, we've been working with industry scientists to find a genetic solution to reduce methane emissions,†says Dr Michael Lohuis, Semex Vice President Research & Innovation. “For over five years Canada's milk recording organizations, now under Lactanet, collected over 13 million milk mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy records. Over seven hundred thousand first lactation MIR records were analyzed by Lactanet geneticists in order to predict methane emissions for milk-recorded cows across Canada. The results showed that you can substantially reduce methane emissions with genetic selection.â€
In April, Lactanet will publish Methane Efficiency breeding values producers can use to significantly reduce methane emissions in their herds. For genomic bulls, it is 70% reliable and genetic selection alone is estimated to reduce emissions 20-30% by 2050.
Semex’s global Elevate® users will automatically receive a methane index on all genomic tested females. Additionally, an index will be available on Semex Holstein sires beginning in April. This gives dairies a clear-cut genetic solution and a faster conversion to a lower methane herd.
"Methane is a global enemy," says Drew Sloan, Semex Vice President Corporate Development. "In fact, most developing nations are adopting laws targeting net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. This new trait is a game changer. The time is now to genomically test your herd with Elevate, giving you the power to assess, monitor and reduce methane in your herd!"
