Australian biological company Terragen Holdings (ASX:TGH) has revealed positive results of research conducted by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) at their Hamilton Smart Farm, Victoria.
The research is part of the Australian government’s Methane Emissions Reduction in Livestock (MERiL) round 2 project ‘The effect of Lactobacillus formulations on production and methane emissions of large and small ruminants’.
This project trialled a dry formulation of MYLO (a microbial supplement for animals) and was led by Agriculture Victoria Research with the primary objective to test methane mitigating solutions in grazing livestock.
Highlights
- Lambs supplemented with dry MYLO had an average daily weight gain 24% higher (p<0.05) than those not given the MYLO supplement, and a 25% higher total live weight gain (p<0.05).
- Lambs supplemented with dry MYLO produced 9.9% less methane (measured as grams of methane per day) when compared to control lambs.
- The methane intensity (measured as grams of methane per gram of daily liveweight gain) was 30% lower in the MYLO group when compared to the control group (p<0.05).
The study was conducted at the DEECA Hamilton Smart Farm between February and June 2024. Sixty-eight lambs were randomly split into two groups and given individual electronic ear tags to differentiate the treatment and control animals. This allowed lambs to be supplementary fed automatically via a C-Lock smart feeder in the paddock.
The treatment group of animals received a supplementary ration including a dose of dry MYLO daily, and control animals received ration only, with dry pasture and hay available to all animals.
Measurements in the form of gas emissions from lambs (i.e. methane and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and oxygen (O2) consumption) were taken at three points of the trial period using portable accumulation chambers (PAC). Live weight gains were also measured weekly.
Dry MYLO
Terragen has developed a prototype dry MYLO product that conforms with quality specifications. The dry format product has an extended shelf life and has greater production and transport efficiencies relative to the liquid MYLO product.
In addition, a dry product presents further opportunities for international expansion, and also enables penetration into new segments such as beef feedlots, where the rations are often more suited to dry supplementation.
Further work is being undertaken regarding product development and the commercialisation pathway for the dry product.
