Hilda hailed as fart-free gamechanger

Chris McCullough For Agri-View

DUMFRIES, SCOTLAND – There was a small hope born earlier this year. A calf called Hilda, born from in vitro fertilization, might reduce methane emissions produced by dairy cows.

Under the auspice of the Cool Cows project, Hilda is the culmination of work by a team of scientists at Scotland’s Rural College-Dairy Research Centre, headed by Richard Dewhurst. Bred to produce reduced volumes of methane, Hilda is being hailed as a role model in helping the dairy sector meet pressure to reduce emissions and move faster to “net zero.”

Hilda is the first calf born via in vitro fertilization in the Langhill herd based at Dumfries in Scotland. The herd has been a vital source of data for the United Kingdom dairy industry for more than half a century, according to the college. Hilda is the first of the 16th generation of cattle born into the herd, which was established in the early 1970s.

Dewhurst and his team have experience gained from leading research units in Wales, New Zealand and Ireland. He said Hilda’s mother’s eggs were fertilized in the laboratory during the project, which allowed the calf to be born eight months earlier than previously possible.

The primary objective of the Cool Cows project is to facilitate a step change in the use of genomic and reproductive technologies to deliver solutions to the global climate emergency. The project demonstrates a unique combination of reproductive technologies – ovum pickup, in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer – and new genomic tools. They can, for the first time, be used to select genetics primarily for reduced methane production whilst maintaining production to produce a number of extremely productive, very-methane-efficient cattle.

Dewhurst said, “With global consumption of dairy produce continuing to grow, breeding livestock for sustainability is extremely important.

“The birth of Hilda is potentially a hugely significant moment for the UK dairy industry. We will use a new genomic assessment alongside existing production and environmental-efficiency indices to select elite, methane-efficient heifers for breeding.

“The Cool Cows project will produce a greater number of offspring from these donors, rapidly establishing a nucleus of highly methane-efficient calves.”

The project – a partnership between the college, Paragon Veterinary Group-Cumbria and Semex – has received 335,000 pounds – about US$452,317 – from the Digital Dairy Chain’s Collaborative Research and Development Grant Competition.

Dr. Rob Simmons, director and lead veterinarian for advanced breeding at Paragon, said, “Paragon were delighted to help develop and deliver this important project to help support sustainability in the dairy sector.

“Genetic improvement in methane efficiency is going to be key to continuing to provide nutritious food to the public, while controlling the impact of methane emissions on the environment in the future.”

Stuart Martin, program director of Digital Dairy Chain, said, “With the environmental impact of farming being a critical global issue, projects that look for innovative solutions to mitigate this impact are vital to the industry.

“The birth of the first Cool Cows calf marks a significant milestone, promising significant results for the future of sustainable farming.”

With the process set to be repeated, it means researchers are doubling the rate of genetic gain and thereby accelerating the accumulation of data to breed more-efficient dairy cows.

This is an original article written for Agri-View, a Lee Enterprises agricultural publication based in Madison, Wisconsin. Visit AgriView.com for more information.