A team that researched data to determine which dairy genetics reduce methane eemissions has won the University of Guelph innovation award for 2023.
The university team of Dr. Christain Baes, Dr. Flavio Schenkel and Dr. Saeed Shadour worked with Dr. Filipps Miglior of Lactanet and Dr. Francesca Malchiodi of Semex to develop a national genetic code.
From left: Dr. Filippo Miglior, Dr. Christine Baes, Dr. Francesca Malchiodi, Dr. Saeed Shadpour and Dr. Flavio Schenkel, pictured at the Ontario Dairy Research Centre in Elora (Photo by Martin Schwalbe)
They developed to identify dairy cattle with traits that help reduce methane emissions.
Related research was done earlier on The Efficient Dairy Genome Project (EDGP), launched in 2015 and led by Miglior and Dr. Paul Stothard from the University of Alberta.
That work focused on gathering methane emission and feed efficiency data for a standardized database.
The Resilient Dairy Genome Project (RDGP) began in 2019 and grew from the EDGP. For the RDGP, Baes, Stothard, Dr. Ronaldo Cerri from University of British Columbia and Dr. Marc-André Sirard from Université Laval, expanded the database to include additional methane and feed efficiency data, as well as information on novel fertility and health traits.
The next step is collecting large-scale data on commercial farms in Canada, further developing the reference population.
“The goal is to collaborate with Environment and Climate Change Canada as well as dairy nutritionists and life cycle analysts to quantify greenhouse gas emissions from dairy cattle more accurately,” said Baes. “The ultimate goal is to contribute to Canada’s greenhouse gas emission inventory in reducing its environmental footprint.”
“I believe genomic selection holds significant potential in addressing challenging traits,” said Baes. “Whether it’s grappling with the complexities of climate change or other environmental issues, the right people and a strategic movement forward can play a crucial role in contributing to their resolution,” she said.
