Climate Action 2025<\/a> highlights, this year has brought turbulence for climate priorities, as trade and geopolitical tensions, particularly with the U.S., dominate attention. With climate action slipping down the priority list, industries must pivot\u2014embedding sustainability into core business strategies, not as an add-on, but as a driver of efficiency, resilience, and growth.<\/p>\nWith shifting priorities competing for resources and investments, innovation found right under your nose may hold the key to unlocking new market ready opportunities. Semex, a leading genetics company based in Guelph, Ontario shows us how.<\/p>\n
Methane emissions from cattle\u2014driven by enteric fermentation, a natural digestion process\u2014 is the largest source of GHG emissions in agriculture and among the toughest to abate. What if the key to reducing them was ready and waiting to be unlocked?<\/p>\n
Semex offers animal semen, embryos, breeding services, and software to farmers in more than 80 countries. The company recently identified a genetic trait that farmers can now select to reduce their herds\u2019 methane by 2 to 3% each generation, with permanent reductions of methane emissions estimated to be 20 to 30% by 2050.<\/p>\n
The key to bringing this discovery to market wasn\u2019t a brand-new technology\u2014it was a new way of looking at existing industry data. Semex leveraged a national milk database managed by Lactanet, who collects data using mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy for milk quality and herd performance. By analyzing this data through a climate lens, researchers uncovered a striking insight: MIR datasets could also be used to predict and influence methane emissions. This existing dataset was the resource needed to unlock insights on methane production by cattle as novel and direct measurement approaches in the barn for methane are still too costly to scale.<\/p>\n
Thanks to existing big data and collaboration, Semex was able to bring the methane efficiency trait to market.<\/p>\n
This case study<\/a> highlights a vital lesson: climate innovation doesn\u2019t always require new tools\u2014sometimes, it\u2019s about looking at what we already have through a new lens. Businesses that embrace this mindset can unlock new efficiencies, market advantages, and climate solutions without reinventing the wheel.<\/p>\nFor more on policies, people and companies driving climate action in the agriculture sector, visit the sector analysis of our flagship report <\/em>here<\/em><\/a>.
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