Provision of High-Quality Molasses Blocks to Improve Productivity and Address Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Smallholder Cattle and Buffalo:
The following excerpt is from the Studies from Lao PDR.
Peter Andrew Windsor 1,* and Julian Hill 2
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney, Camden, NSW 2570, Australia
- Ternes Scientific, Upwey, VIC 3158, Australia
* Correspondence: peter.windsor@sydney.edu.au
Simple Summary:
Urgent responses to the climate change crisis are required, with concerns that cattle and buffalo are contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, particularly in developing countries where large ruminant production is inefficient.
Recent studies in Lao PDR demonstrated that ad libitum supplementation of smallholder large ruminants with high-quality molasses nutrient blocks (MNB, 20 kg) with and without anthelmintics and 8% or 10% urea, provided from Australia (Four Seasons Pty Ltd., Brisbane, Qld, Australia), significantly improved productivity, average daily gains and milk production for MNB-supplemented animals compared to controls.
‘Emissions control molasses blocks (n = 200) were then formulated and distributed to beef farmers (n = 60) and two institutional farms to obtain block consumption rates (156 g/day) and farmer acceptance data. Modelling of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe) intensity using Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Inventory software model V 2.69 of the recently published data on use of molasses nutrient blocks demonstrated a conservative net abatement of 350 kg CO2e over a 200-day feeding period, whereas modelling of the Emissions control molasses blocks identified an abatement of 470 kg CO2e per block consumed.