New Open-Source Tool Streamlines GreenFeed Livestock Emissions Data Analysis

The dairy and agriculture sectors' pursuit of sustainability and efficiency has fueled a dramatic expansion in research aimed at understanding and reducing livestock greenhouse gas emissions. Central to this effort is the ability to accurately measure methane and carbon dioxide output from cattle on a large scale. GreenFeed is a popular tool helping researchers and producers measure emissions in real time.

A new open-source tool, greenfeedr—outlined in a new technical note in JDS Communications—is simplifying processing and data reporting from GreenFeed systems, making it easier to get flexible, useful, and impactful data and accelerate the work toward a sustainable future for dairy and livestock production.

GreenFeed systems are portable head chambers that measure individual animal gas production in real time, generating substantial amounts of data. Animals voluntarily use the machine, receiving pelleted feed throughout the day, meaning that the system gathers data 24 hours a day, often for weeks at a time. While all of these data are crucial for researchers and producers aiming to understand and mitigate livestock's contribution to climate change, it comes with challenges. Managing and analyzing this high volume of data—especially across different research projects, dairy herds, and teams—are often time consuming and can lead to error and data inconsistencies.