SASKATCHEWAN, Canada (RFD News) — Researchers are exploring whether unconventional feed sources like seaweed could help livestock producers adapt to changing environmental and economic pressures.
According to Narsimha Pujari with Canadian Light Source, climate pressures, rising crop costs, and stress on traditional pastures are forcing scientists and producers to rethink some long-held assumptions about livestock nutrition.
Wade Abbott, a research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, partnered with researchers at the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at the University of Saskatchewan to study whether cattle can successfully digest seaweed and what happens inside the gut when they do.
Researchers observed a bloom of bacteria believed to help cattle break down and digest marine material, suggesting cows were able to process the seaweed successfully despite it being fundamentally different from traditional feeds like hay or grass.
Abbott and his colleagues refer to the discovery as the “latent trait hypothesis,” which suggests certain beneficial microbes already exist at low levels within the gut and rapidly multiply when introduced to new feed sources.
“Crystallography (at the CLS) gave us the molecular blueprint for how these enzymes work,” Abbott said. “We could finally see exactly how the bacteria crack the code of seaweed digestion.”
Abbott says seaweed is unlikely to replace traditional feed because of its cost, but researchers are seeing potential health benefits including use as an antimicrobial alternative or immunity booster.
He adds the research could eventually help create a broader framework for sustainable agriculture and alternative livestock nutrition strategies.
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