In episode two of Dairy Digressions, Matt sits down with Jan Dijkstra, PhD, associate professor of ruminant nutrition at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, to talk about the topic on every dairy professional’s mind: the sustainable future of dairying. While this topic has taken center stage in the Netherlands—with the government’s plan to cut 50% of its current nitrogen emissions by 2030 to meet European Union climate targets—reducing greenhouse gasses is a global goal and a pressing research topic within the dairy science community worldwide. The two discuss the state of farming and the environment, tracing the link between human population growth to the growth of ruminants via a staggering recent analysis of global mammal biomass. Jan dives into the latest research on whether 3-nitrooxypropanol—an emerging feed additive—can effectively reduce methane production in dairy cows. Jan also shares his findings on the most effective strategies to mitigate ruminant methane emissions toward 2030 and 2050 climate goals. Listen in as they unpack the differences between dairy science research in the US versus the Netherlands and find out why Jan advises all students (especially those in science) to have a controversial attitude in their work.

Show Notes
Learn more about Dr. Jan Dijkstra and connect with him on Twitter @CUJanD.
Check out the Progressive Dairy podcast episode mentioned in the discussion. 
Catch up on the papers discussed on the episode:
A meta-analysis of effects of 3-nitrooxypropanol on methane production, yield,
and intensity in dairy cattle, Journal of Dairy Science (2023)
The global biomass of wild mammals, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
of the United States of America (2023)
Full adoption of the most effective strategies to mitigate methane emissions by
ruminants can help meet the 1.5 °C target by 2030 but not 2050, Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (2022)