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for sustainability research at Dairy Management locally-relevant agricultural knowledge into the
Inc. and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. hands of farmers to build healthy soil and cap-
ture carbon.”
But despite “good information on their efficacy
or on their ability to reduce enteric methane,” Wolfe’s Neck is involved in research on how
Tricarico says many of those products are not to reduce methane emissions from cattle by
available because they haven’t received approval feeding them Maine seaweeds. Both Tricarico
from FDA to make that claim on their labels. and Cox says the research on seaweed so far is
“promising.”
Newtrient, which is funded by the dairy
industry to assess research and advance the A study released last year found that a red
industry’s goal to achieve net-zero reductions seaweed that grows in the tropics, when fed
by 2050, published a report earlier this year to lactating dairy cows, decreased methane
listing only three products on the market with emission by 80% and had no effect on feed
“enteric methane implications”—AllTech’s intake or milk yield.
YeaSacc, Syngenta’s Enogen, Agolin SA’s “We know that it is effective in the short term;
Agolin Ruminant — along with those avail- we don’t know if it’s effective in the long term,”
able in the short term or that are in early-stage said Alexander Hristov, a professor of dairy
development. nutrition at Penn State. He said feed additives
“Feed additives are a promising tool to address can lose their effectiveness as microbes adapt to
enteric emissions in ruminants, and regulatory them, so long-term studies will be needed.
burdens are adding years onto the process of Another promising product is Bovaer, developed
making these additives available to producers,” by Dutch company DSM. A quarter teaspoon
they said. “This lag in approval is likely also per cow per day “suppresses the enzyme that
impacting research and development invest- triggers methane production in a cow’s rumen,”
ments in this area in the United States.” DSM says. It’s expected to be available in

Of Enogen, the Newtrient report said, “When Europe before making its way to the U.S., but
fed to dairy cows, reported data is encourag- it’s still undergoing trials.
ing with possible feed efficiency improvements The Newtrient report foresees Bovaer becoming
of over 10%; however, more long-term studies available in 2024 in the U.S. after FDA approval.
are needed to substantiate claims.” Syngenta Over 35 trials have demonstrated it can reduce
itself said recently Enogen improves feed effi- enteric fermentation by 30%. In the U.S., “it
ciency by 5%. will still take multiple years to complete, given

Seaweed “is making great strides,” Tricarico the long duration of several of the U.S. specific
said, but more research needs to be done and trials.”
it faces the barrier of mass production. “It’s Another product is Mootral, from Swiss com-
got to be dry, it’s got to have the shelf life.” pany Mootral SA, a garlic and citric acid-based
Tricarico says. natural feed supplement. Tricarico, however,
“We have to create regenerative aquaculture said while “citrus extracts or garlic extracts or
systems to produce the seaweed,” said Dorn oreganos get quite a bit of hype from the media,
Cox, research director of Wolfe’s Neck Center their evidence of efficacy in animals is nonexis-
in Maine, a nonprofit leading a collaborative tent to minimal.”
effort including universities, government agen- The trick is to develop additives that can reduce
cies, NGOs and corporations “to put the best enteric methane without harming the cow,

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