主要研究 今天

在利润微薄且不稳定的市场中运营, dairy farmers deeply care about the well-being of the animals they manage because happy cows are productive cows, 这通常意味着在黑色或红色之间的区别. One reason that a cow may have lower milk production is an inefficiency digesting its feed—an outcome that’s accompanied by cows’ releasing more methane, 尤其是那些吃豆科植物和草的食草动物. 新罕布什尔农业实验站(NHAES)科学家的新研究 安德烈·布里托 添加一种植物性精油混合物，被称为 Agolin Naturu 在有机奶牛饲料可以帮助动物的消化过程, 不仅提高了牛奶产量和质量 but helping New Hampshire’s agriculture be a solution to climate change by reducing the release of a heat-trapping gas into the atmosphere.

“澳门葡京网赌游戏阿戈林在美国奶牛场使用的研究有限, 我们也不知道有任何澳门葡京网赌游戏有机乳制品系统的研究.”

“有机奶牛场使用的饲料添加剂, 比如在主要研究和花岗岩州的其他14个, 必须满足 严格的美国农业部指导方针,” explained Brito, an associate professor of dairy cattle nutrition and management. “Agolin, 混合了野生胡萝卜和香菜的精油, 符合这些标准, 但科学家们直到最近才开始研究它在有机乳制品中的应用. One of our goals with this research is to build upon that knowledge and support organic dairies in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions while increasing their production levels.”

中小型奶牛场这是新罕布什尔96%农场的特点-通常从最大化生产的研究中获益最多, as these farms have smaller profit margins and comparatively higher equipment costs than larger dairies. 另外, there are unique opportunities to reduce enteric methane emissions in these farms through improved forage quality and use of feed additives to reduce their carbon footprint.

“澳门葡京网赌游戏阿戈林在美国奶牛场使用的研究有限, 我们也不知道有任何澳门葡京网赌游戏有机乳制品系统的研究,穆罕默德·阿迪尔·阿尔沙德说, a 联合国大学生命科学与农业学院.D. 学生 共同领导这项研究. “奶牛在坐月子里, 农民可以控制喂牛饲料的数量和种类, 但是吃草的牛在牧场上选择它们最喜欢的草和豆类. 因此, there is a need to evaluate Agolin efficacy as cows transition from confinement to grazing.”

布里托和阿尔沙德开始研究阿戈林对人体的影响 主要研究的有机奶牛 2023年春天. They designed a study in which organic Jersey cows were each fed 1 gram of Agolin per day for five weeks during confinement (i.e., 当不在牧场时)遵循冬季进食时间表, 在接下来的五个星期里，当奶牛开始进入牧场时.

另外, 这项研究是在牛群从室内环境过渡的过程中进行的, 冬季进食时间表改为户外, pasture-feeding schedule (which typically runs from April through September) due to changes that occur in organic cows’ microbial populations, 哪些因素会影响产奶量, 随着奶牛适应新的环境和食物来源. 此外, scientists believe that this seasonal change in diet also influences methane emissions, 当奶牛开始吃更多的牧草时，甲烷的产量就会增加.

“Our research investigates the continuous effect of Agolin on methane emissions and milk production as the cows transition from indoor to outdoor feeding,阿尔沙德解释道. “We will be able to share with farmers when Agolin should be added to the cows’ diet to maximize its effects on methane emissions and milk production.”

根据布里托和阿尔沙德的说法, preliminary results already look promising and show that Agolin improved milk production by 6.5%，降低了甲烷强度, 或者每磅能量修正牛奶产生的甲烷量, by 6%. 乳脂的产量也增加了, 而乳汁的体细胞数(衡量乳汁质量的指标)减少, 用阿戈林饲料.

给布里托和阿尔沙德, a long-term goal of this research is to improve the capacity of 乳制品生产商 in New England and across the United States to market high-quality, 环境可持续的牛奶，同时最大化小农场的利润. This research effort—conducted at one of the two research dairy farms at the NHAES—is part of large-scale collaboration with 16 other research dairies at agricultural experiment stations across the United States is key to ensuring the success of that goal and the resiliency of U.S. 乳制品生产商. Research efforts like this one ultimately show that improved production of milk and milk fat with reduced carbon footprint can help farmers to make informed decisions about the use of feed additives in their family operations.

本材料是基于工作支持的 NH农业试验站 通过联合资助 美国农业部国家粮食和农业研究所 (根据哈奇奖编号7005829)和新罕布什尔州.