Rumin8 is testing three forms of a similar technology that promise to cut methane emissions produced by cow burps: One is a feed additive, one can be added to cows’ drinking water, and one goes in a slow-release capsule that lasts up to six months. Each strategy targets cattle in a different environment: The additive can be given to animals in feedlots, but animals that graze might require the capsules or drinking water supplement. The feed additive is the farthest along in development.
Rumin8’s technology works by interrupting the steps within a cow’s rumen (the largest part of its stomach) that lead to the production of methane. Upwards of 10% of a cow’s energy goes to making methane as a by-product of digestion. The methane is just a side effect of fermentation in the stomach, and by interrupting that process, the treatment lets the animals save energy, which can then go toward producing more muscle and milk. The greater the methane reduction, the greater the productivity gain.
That’s Rumin8’s pitch. The company says its treatments can reduce methane by more than 50%—significantly higher than competitors like Bovaer, the only such additive approved by the US FDA so far. But the cattle’s measurable improvements in productivity with Rumin8 products means they should be an easier sell to farmers: Their extra spending on a supplement that reduces methane not only is good for the planet but could also pay for itself by generating more meat and milk.
Key indicators
- Industry: Food and agriculture
- Founded: 2021
- Headquarters: Perth, Australia
- Notable fact: Bill Gates’s Breakthrough Energy Ventures led fundraising for the company, helping Rumin8 secure $12 million last year in its third investment round.
Potential for impact
Emissions from livestock play a huge role in global greenhouse-gas emissions. Most of those emissions come from beef and dairy cattle, which emit mostly methane—a very potent greenhouse gas, with 28 times more global warming power than carbon dioxide. While strategies to reduce emissions from other high-emitting sectors like power and transportation have advanced significantly in the last decade, agriculture remains stubbornly behind.
