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Reducing Nutrient Pollution from Animal Agriculture
Dr. Rick Kohn is the PI. The goal of Dr. Rick Kohn’s research is to reduce pollution of air and water resources from animal agriculture. Nutrient pollution is a major concern in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed because high levels of nitrogen and phosphorous threaten the Bay’s ecosystem. Our emphasis has been to identify ways to reduce nutrient pollution from animal agriculture through better animal nutrition and farm management. Most of our research employs the use of mathematical models to integrate information in the scientific literature, develop and test scientific hypothesis, integrate data from experiments we conduct, and ultimately develop tools that can be used in the field.
We developed a mathematical model of a dairy farm that was used to identify the critical control points for reducing nutrient losses to the environment. This model integrated effects of animal nutrition and feeding with crop selection and manure management decisions, and demonstrated the important impact of animal feeding on reducing nitrogen and phosphorus losses to the environment. We have compared the effects of different technologies using data from controlled experiments and from field observations.
One of the most important nutrients to farming is nitrogen. Improving protein utilization by cattle allows for maintenance of production levels with reduced nitrogen feeding and excretion. This effect in turn leads to a decreased requirement to purchase and grow protein sources on the farm (protein is an expensive nutrient to obtain). Ultimately, protein nutrition has a major impact on both farm profitability and nitrogen losses to water and air resources. Several of our research projects have suggested ways to improve nitrogen utilization in dairy cattle. We have also developed mathematical models of nitrogen metabolism by dairy cattle to better understand requirements and to identify indicators of excessive or deficient diets. We developed a means to evaluate the amount of protein consumed on farms using milk composition. High levels of urea nitrogen in milk samples indicate that cows consumed more than enough protein for their level of production. Further research is aimed at evaluating methods to assess protein degradation and microbial protein synthesis in the rumen from milk or urine composition.
Future research will aim to develop methods to quantify microbial growth in the rumen in order to assess the requirement for protein and energy in the diet that is available to rumen microbes. We are also exploring ways of grouping cows and determining the optimal diet to feed a group, and we are developing protocols for making feed selection choices while taking environmental and economic considerations into account.
For more information, contact Dr. Rick Kohn
Last updated: 04/9/2009
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