Use of corn distillers' dried grains to reduce enteric methane loss from beef cattle

McGinn, S. M., Chung, Y.-H., Beauchemin, K. A., Iwaasa, A. D. and Grainger, C. 2009. Use of corn distillers' dried grains to reduce enteric methane loss from beef cattle. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 89: 409-413. There are significant emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) from agriculture, and a major source is enteric methane (CH(4)) from ruminants. Our study reports the impact on enteric CH(4) emissions when barley grain (35% of the dietary dry matter (DM) was replaced by corn distillers' dried grains with solubles (DDGS, adding 30 g fat kg(-1) dietary DM) in the backgrounding diet of growing beef cattle. The addition of DDGS reduced CH(4) emissions (g d(-1)) by 19.9%, and by 16.4% when adjusted for DM intake [g (DM intake)(-1)] or by 23.9% when adjusted for gross energy (GE) intake (% of GE intake). Adding DDGS to cattle diets reduced CH(4) emissions, but the effects of higher N content of the manure on emissions of nitrous oxide and ammonia need to be accounted for to complete the evaluation of the environmental impact of feeding DDGS to feedlot cattle.