Ample Agriculture is working to perfect a feed additive which will make cattle more productive while also reducing their methane emissions — creating a win-win for farmers and the climate.

Founded in 2023, the start-up company’s feed additive is formulated to change the gut microbiology of cows. Rather than produce more methane-generating enzymes, the additive favours the creation of compounds that encourage meat and milk production.

“Our hope is that by increasing productivity, that’s another lever to further reduce the methane intensity per unit output. That should have cascading effects throughout the upstream supply chain,” CEO Mark Smith told Sustainable Biz Canada in an interview.

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas 86 times stronger than carbon dioxide at warming the climate. It is responsible for 13 per cent of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions, and about a quarter of Canada’s methane comes from agriculture, government data says.

Named a semi-finalist in the Agricultural Methane Reduction Challenge organized by Impact Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ample is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass. But its ties to Canada include Canadian co-founder Carolyn Edelstein and a subsidiary in Toronto.

The team of four, most of whom are balancing other jobs while working at Ample, have the goal of field testing and raising funds to grow into a full-time business.

From microbes to microbes

For Smith, Ample has meant changing his focus from human biology to animals. He co-founded OpenBiome, which operates a public stool bank and provides fecal transplants, and also formed biotech company Finch Therapeutics.

After he wrapped up his time at Finch, he wanted to address climate issues. Recently becoming the father of twins, Smith said he is deeply concerned about the challenges of a warming climate for future generations, and reflected on how his microbiology expertise could address the problem.

“I can’t work on solar panels or wind turbines, but as I started looking at the overall climate problem, I was pretty quickly drawn to just how big of a problem that methane emissions from agriculture are,” he said. Agriculture is the main source of human methane emissions, with livestock accounting for the majority, the UN Environment Programme says.

Researching the matter, Ample’s team looked into an enzyme called methyl-coenzyme M reductase that is responsible for most methane produced from living beings, and is found in the stomach of ruminants like cows and sheep.

Ruminants can lose between two to 12 per cent of the energy from their food as methane, Smith explained. If the lost energy could be converted into compounds that could be used by the animal as volatile fatty acids, it would limit the availability of the enzyme, cutting methane emissions while boosting meat and milk production.

The Ample team found chemicals that would inhibit creation of the enzyme, and tested the most promising ones in a lab. One compound limited the growth of methane-producing microbes.

Feeding methane-reducing additives

With the science established, Ample developed a drop-in solution using the compound for cattle producers.

Its powder additive is added to cattle feed to impact the gut biomes of the animals. Only a small amount is needed to reap the benefits — in the area of a few spoonfuls for troughs of feed.

The initial uses for the additive would be for dairy feedlots. Ample is already preparing a solution for beef cows which feed mainly by grazing.

Ample is aiming for double-digit percentage reductions of methane emissions using the additive. A single cow can produce between 154 to 264 pounds (70 to 120 kilograms) of methane per year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says.

It is crucial to improve cattle productivity as well, Smith said, as it plays a key role in scaling-up Ample's technology. It would make it more economical for cattle producers to accept the feed and could reduce the need for protein supplements. By improving meat and milk yields, fewer resources would be needed, further improving sustainability outcomes.

Next for the company is to test its feed additive in animals and wrap up remaining experiments. Ample plans to commence animal tests likely on beef cattle in 2025.

Funding for Ample

Using prize money from the Agricultural Methane Reduction Challenge, Ample can continue its research and testing while raising its profile. The company can also be connected to regulatory expertise from the Canadian government and get technical guidance, Smith said.

“We’re really excited to be a part of this challenge . . . It’s also been exciting to see some of the other interesting technologies that are here,” he said.

Commercialization for Ample would involve partnering with big feed producers and selling the additive directly, or partnering with animal health companies selling similar feed additives.

A commercialization schedule will likely depend on the test results, he said.

The company has been mostly self-funded by the team, with help from family and friends, and some support from the Canadian government.

Smith said more microbiology experts will be added to the company, and it will pursue non-diluted funding.