Benefits of High Fibre Low Cost Feeds Offset Global Warming Potential

Research being conducted by the University of Saskatchewan shows pork producers can reduce their feed costs without increasing the carbon footprint of their operations by selecting low cost high fibre feed ingredients. Scientists with the University of Saskatchewan are evaluating the carbon footprint left when using high fibre feed ingredients, specifically wheat mill run and culled peas, in swine rations.

 

Dr. Denise Beaulieu, an Assistant Professor Monogastric Nutrition with the College of Agriculture and Bioresources, says the greenhouse gases of primary concern are Carbon Dioxide, Methane and Nitrous Oxide.

 

 

They're not equal in terms of global warming potential so, when we do the final calculations, we do calculations that look at different global warming potential from those gases. We were interested primarily in looking at by-products from the grain industry and we specifically looked at a product called wheat mill run. This is left over from milling wheat.

 

If you make the flour from the wheat and that goes to human consumption, then you have a high fibre by-product, wheat mill run. Then we also looked at the addition of peas to the diet. Very often, after a farmer sells his peas, there will be peas left that do not make human food grade so these are often used to feed pigs and what would be the effect of feeding these on greenhouse gas output.

 

Primarily what we wanted to do was see if the potential increase in greenhouse gas production from the pig and from the manure would be offset by the potential decrease in producing the feed.

Video: Swine Industry Advances: Biodigesters Lower Emissions and Increase Profits

Analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG emissions) in the Canadian swine sector found that CH4 emissions from manure were the largest contributor to the overall emissions, followed by emissions from energy use and crop production.

This innovative project, "Improving Swine Manure-Digestate Management Practices Towards Carbon Neutrality With Net Zero Emission Concepts," from Dr. Rajinikanth Rajagopal, under Swine Cluster 4, seeks to develop strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

While the management of manure can be very demanding and expensive for swine operations, it can also be viewed as an opportunity for GHG mitigation, as manure storage is an emission source built and managed by swine producers. Moreover, the majority of CH4 emissions from manure occur during a short period of time in the summer, which can potentially be mitigated with targeted intervention.

In tandem with understanding baseline emissions, Dr. Rajagopal's work focuses on evaluating emission mitigation options. Manure additives have the potential of reducing manure methane emissions. Additives can be deployed relatively quickly, enabling near-term emission reductions while biodigesters are being built. Furthermore, additives can be a long-term solution at farms where biogas is not feasible (e.g., when it’s too far from a central digester). Similarly, after biodigestion, additives can also be used to further reduce emissions from storage to minimize the carbon intensity of the bioenergy.