Hoofprint Biome represents a new paradigm in solving methane emissions from cattle.

The vast majority of solutions to solve methane emissions from cattle deploy chemicals. Even the seaweed asparagopsis makes the chemical bromoform from bromine and chlorine in seawater, and its suppression of methane is via bromoform. Recently, the market has shown great concern and pushback on using chemicals, especially in the dairy industry.

Hoofprint instead looks inside the cow rumen itself, where it discovers natural enzymes and peptides that control methanogens.

In this market, farmers can’t pay much for methane reduction, but they will pay for improved “performance,” meaning solutions that increase milk or beef volume. In other words, it’s not enough just to suppress the methanogens – the real winners will be able to improve microbiome efficiency and ultimately steer the rumen to increase the output of volatile fatty acids that are absorbed by the cow.