Method and system for monitoring and reducing ruminant methane production

An apparatus for monitoring methane emissions from a ruminant, comprising:

• means to entice a ruminant to voluntarily place its nose and mouth in a position that facilitates measurement of exhaled breath;
• a gas collection manifold with an inlet near the nose and mouth position in the ruminant enticement means, the gas collection manifold drawing a flow of air into the inlet;
• a methane monitoring device monitoring methane in the gas collection manifold including methane concentrations in exhaled breath of the ruminant and in air in the absence of the ruminant;
• and
• a data analyzing station processing the monitored methane concentrations to determine methane emitted by the ruminant from rumen metabolism.

A method for monitoring and controlling methane production by a ruminant, comprising:

• with a proximity sensor, determining a ruminant has positioned its nose and mouth into a hood of a feeding station;
• while the ruminant accesses the hood, measuring a level of methane and a level of carbon dioxide in air flow and concurrently measuring a level of a tracer in the air flow;
• measuring the air flow to determine a total air flow in a collection pipe;
• with a data analyzing processor, processing the measured level of the tracer to determine a capture rate of breath of the ruminant in the collection pipe;
• and
• with the data analyzing processor, determining mass fluxes of methane and carbon dioxide for the ruminant.

A method for monitoring and controlling methane production by a ruminant, comprising:

• when a ruminant accesses a feeder dispenser, reading data from a tag on the ruminant identifying the ruminant;
• accessing a methane production monitoring database in memory with the identifying data to determine a feed mix associated with the ruminant;
• operating a dispenser to dispense the feed mix into the feed dispenser;
• while the ruminant accesses the feed dispenser to feed, measuring a level of methane and a level of carbon dioxide in breath of the ruminant;
• with a processing module run by a processor, determining a metabolic efficiency of the ruminant and modifying a nutritional supplement in the feed mix based on the metabolic efficiency to reduce methane production by the ruminant;
• and
• generating a report in a user interface of a user system that includes the metabolic efficiency, an identifier for the ruminant, and at least one other ruminant management parameter.