Variability in Enteric Methane Emissions among Dairy Cows during Lactation

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The objective of this study was to investigate variability in enteric methane (CH(4)) emission rate and emissions per unit of milk among dairy cows on commercial farms in the UK. A large dataset of enteric CH(4) measurements from individual cows was obtained from 18 farms across the UK. We conclude that changes in CH(4) emissions appear to occur across and within lactations, but ranking of a herd remains consistent, which is useful for obtaining CH(4) spot measurements. ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to investigate variability in enteric CH(4) emission rate and emissions per unit of milk across lactations among dairy cows on commercial farms in the UK. A total of 105,701 CH(4) spot measurements were obtained from 2206 mostly Holstein-Friesian cows on 18 dairy farms using robotic milking stations. Eleven farms fed a partial mixed ration (PMR) and 7 farms fed a PMR with grazing. Methane concentrations (ppm) were measured using an infrared CH(4) analyser at 1s intervals in breath samples taken during milking. Signal processing was used to detect CH(4) eructation peaks, with maximum peak amplitude being used to derive CH(4) emission rate (g/min) during each milking. A multiple-experiment meta-analysis model was used to assess effects of farm, week of lactation, parity, diet, and dry matter intake (DMI) on average CH(4) emissions (expressed in g/min and g/kg milk) per individual cow. Estimated mean enteric CH(4) emissions across the 18 farms was 0.38 (s.e. 0.01) g/min, ranging from 0.2 to 0.6 g/min, and 25.6 (s.e. 0.5) g/kg milk, ranging from 15 to 42 g/kg milk. Estimated dry matter intake was positively correlated with emission rate, which was higher in grazing cows, and negatively correlated with emissions per kg milk and was most significant in PMR-fed cows. Mean CH(4) emission rate increased over the first 9 weeks of lactation and then was steady until week 70. Older cows were associated with lower emissions per minute and per kg milk. Rank correlation for CH(4) emissions among weeks of lactation was generally high. We conclude that CH(4) emissions appear to change across and within lactations, but ranking of a herd remains consistent, which is useful for obtaining CH(4) spot measurements.