Develop cost-effective, scalable solutions for measuring methane emissions in livestock.
2024–2027
$1.6 million over three years
Sam Clark
Program Lead
Sam Clark, Professor of Animal Genetics at UNE, leads research on livestock productivity, feed efficiency, and methane reduction. He directs major breeding projects and mentors emerging scientists, aiming to improve sustainability across plant and animal agriculture in Australia.
Developing new, easy-to-use tools to measure methane emissions from cows, helping farmers reduce their environmental impact and improve herd management.
This project aims to develop scalable, cost-effective methods for accurately measuring methane emissions in livestock to support herd management, emissions inventories, and genetic evaluations.
Program
This project is being completed as part of Program 2: Towards Methane-Free Cattle and Sheep
Methane measurement challenge
Current methane measurement techniques, like respiration chambers and SF6 tracers, are expensive, difficult to scale, and impractical for routine farm use.
Two-part approach
The project consists of two subprojects – validating milk mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy as a methane proxy and developing a Wavelength Modulation Spectroscopy (WMS) device for accurate methane measurement.
MIR as a Cost-Effective Solution
MIR spectroscopy, already widely used for milk composition analysis, shows promise for methane prediction, offering a cost-effective and scalable alternative for genetic evaluations.
Investment
The CRC will invest $1.6 million over three and a half years to develop and validate low-cost methane measurement tools as part of this project.
WMS for High-Precision Measurement
WMS technology is being developed to provide affordable, in-field, and in-milking shed methane measurements with high accuracy, complementing MIR data.
Validation Process
The WMS device will be used to validate the methane predictions derived from MIR data, ensuring accuracy and reliability across different farm environments.
Collaboration with our Partners
The project involves Agriculture Victoria Research (AVR), Macquarie University, the University of New England, and the University of Western Australia, leveraging expertise in genetics, spectroscopy, and livestock research.
International Alignment
The project builds on global advancements, including Canada’s dairy methane evaluations and collaborative research with institutions in the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Spain.
Research timeline
The project spans from 2024 to 2027, with phased developments in MIR methane prediction models, WMS technology optimisation, and field validation trials.
Commercial and Research Applications
The technologies developed will support research within and outside the CRC, including carbon credit programs, supply chain emissions tracking, and methane mitigation strategies.
