UW-Platteville’s School of Agriculture is advancing dairy science through cutting-edge research. Dr. Ryan Pralle leads this work as Assistant Professor of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences. Dr. Pralle’s team focuses on automated milking systems and dairy cow nutrition. Their goal is to boost cow productivity. They also aim to improve efficiency and sustainability. A key component of this research is the use of GreenFeed technology, a tool that tracks greenhouse gas emissions from cows, offering valuable insights into their health and nutrition.
“Our main interest is to see how we can precisely feed cows through automated milking systems and assess the ramifications on productivity, efficiency, as well as sustainability,” said Dr. Pralle.
The GreenFeed machine, as Dr. Pralle describes it, is a large green box. Cows visit it voluntarily throughout the day. The machine recognizes each cow and dispenses a small amount of feed. It measures the gases she exhales, including methane, hydrogen, CO2, as well as oxygen. “While she’s munching, we get to analyze the gases she emits, which gives us insights into the cow’s rumen chemistry, her fermentation profile, and even her energy metabolism,” Dr. Pralle explained.
This technology is crucial for understanding dairy farming’s environmental impact. It helps adjust feeding strategies to cut greenhouse gas emissions. “We’re constantly monitoring these emissions 24/7, even when I’m not there,” said Pralle, noting the importance of long-term data collection. “We’re comparing different nutritional interventions and management strategies to see how they impact gas emissions and cow metabolism.”
Supported by a USDA grant, the research also explores optimizing dairy cow rations to ensure they meet their energetic needs while minimizing health disorders like ketosis. “We’re focusing on how fast we can ramp cows up after calving and the ratio of pellet feed to milk production, to be more efficient with nutrients,” Pralle added.
UW-Platteville students play a vital role in the research. “The students are really the workhorses here,” Pralle said. “They’re out with me seven days a week, collecting samples and maintaining equipment. They’re also excited about working with what they like to call the ‘burp box.’ It’s fun and engaging for them to see the real-world impact of what we discuss in class.”
Dr. Pralle also emphasized the role of the Dairy Innovation Hub in supporting research efforts. “The Dairy Innovation Hub has been a huge catalyst for our infrastructure improvements and has made our program more competitive for larger grants,” he noted. “This support has allowed us to dig deeper into the science and push dairy forward through research and innovation.”
As the research continues, Dr. Pralle expressed gratitude for the support from Wisconsin’s dairy producers and stakeholders. “I just want to give a big thank you to all the dairy producers who have supported the Wisconsin Dairy Innovation Hub. This research isn’t just for the industry but also for the next generation of dairy scientists—our students.”
