Karen A. Beauchemin, Ph. D.

Image Karen A, Beauchemin
Research Scientist, Ruminant Nutrition and Environment (Retired)

Development of nutritional knowledge and technologies for the beef and dairy industries to improve efficiency of production and reduce environmental impact

Current research and/or projects

Development of nutritional knowledge and technologies for the beef and dairy industries to improve efficiency of production and reduce environmental impact

Research and/or project statements

Projects include:

  • Mitigation of enteric methane and other greenhouse gas emissions from ruminants

  • Farm-based life cycle analysis of greenhouse gas emissions from beef and dairy production

  • Improved nitrogen use efficiency of ruminants

  • Improved rumen ecology and fiber utilization

  • Use of feed additives, including exogenous enzymes, yeast and direct fed microbials

  • Reduction of ruminal acidosis in dairy cows and feedlot cattle

  • Physically effective fiber requirements for feedlot cattle and dairy cows

  • Grain digestion and utilization for ruminants

  • Nutritional evaluation of short season corn silage hybrids

Fields of Science

Learn more about my research and how it impacts you by visiting Fields of Science, a campaign featuring 11 Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada scientists from coast to coast.

Professional activities / interests

Research with beef and dairy cattle

National and international advisory role

Mentorship of students and young researchers

 

 

Education and awards

Education

B.Sc. (honours), McGill University, Major in Agriculture 1978

M.Sc. Université Laval, Major in Animal Science 1982

Ph.D.(distinction) University of Guelph 1988

Major in Ruminant Nutrition, minors in Gastrointestinal Physiology and Statistics, Supervisor:  Dr. J. G. Buchanan-Smith

Honours and Awards Held

  • B.Sc. awarded with honours, 1978

  • Ph.D. awarded with distinction, 1988
  • Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) award held during Ph.D.      (1983-88)
  • 1st prize for presentation in CSAS Graduate Student Competition, 1987
  • Canadian Society of Animal Science Young Scientist Award, 1994

  • Travel Scholarship, Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science, 2005

  • American Dairy Science Association Pioneer Hi-Bred Forage Award, 2005

  • Gold Harvest Award of Excellence, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2007

  • George B. Caine Foundation Award, Utah State University, 2008

  • Sir Frederick McMaster Fellowship, CSIRO, Australia, 2009 ($28,000 awarded for travel)

  • Canadian Society of Animal Science Excellence in Nutrition and Meat Science Award, 2009

  • American Dairy Science Association, Nutrition Professionals Applied Dairy Nutrition Award, 2010

  • The Bertebos Prize, Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry, 2011

  • Visiting Professorship for Senior International Scientists, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2011-13

  • Canadian Society of Animal Science Fellowship Award, 2014

International experience and/or work

1995-96   Work Transfer (sabbatical), Danish Institute of Animal Sciences, Foulum,  Denmark (12 months)

2005-06   Work Transfer (sabbatical), Department of Primary Industries – Victoria (Elinbank), Australia (12 months)

Advisory Roles - International

-International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): (2017-2019). Invited contributing author to Chapter 10: Emissions from livestock and manure management, 2019 Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, Volume 4, Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use. https://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/2019rf/vol4.html. This IPCC methodology is used by Environment and Climate Change Canada and other countries to produce their national greenhouse gas inventories.

Invited Member of the Committee on Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cattle, Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources, Division on Earth and Life Studies, National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.  Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cattle, 8th Revised Edition (2013-16). Committee tasked with revising the NRC publication/model for beef cattle nutrient requirements. Only Canadian member of the 9 person committee. This publication sets the standards for nutrient requirements and is widely considered to be the cornerstone of beef nutrition and is universally used by nutritionists, veterinarians, and feed regulators such as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

European Research Council (2016-17; 2018-19). Advanced Grant LS9 “Applied Life Sciences and Non-Medical Biotechnology” Invited Panel Member. The Advanced Grants represent the highest achievement in science within the EU.  The Panel consists of 12 invited international members and receives 60-120 proposals/year to review.  Successful proposals are awarded 2.5 million euros.

SmartCow (www.smartcow.eu): Invited Scientific Advisor to an EU research consortium (14 research partners, 7 EU countries, 2018-2022). Project designed to optimize the use of European research facilities and multi-disciplinary research across countries to promote efficient use of resources, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and improving animal welfare and health.

AnimalChange Consortium (http://www.animalchange.eu): Invited scientific advisor to the EU research consortium (9 million Euros, 30 institutes) with representation from research, industry, and policy makers. The goal of the project is to develop greenhouse gas mitigation and adaptation strategies for livestock production in the EU and partnering developing countries.

United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO): (2010-2015) Consultant on a Coordinated Research Project entitled “The use of enzymes, direct-fed microbials and yeast to improve the efficiency of utilizing fibrous feeds in developing countries and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from livestock", of the Animal Production and Health Section, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture.  Provided advice to participating researchers for 10 research contract holders in developing countries.  

International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): (2009)  Invited member of the 3rd Expert Committee on Data for the IPCC Database on Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emission Factors (attended meeting June 24-26, Santiago, Chile). The Emission Factor Database is a public database on GHG emission factors with supporting scientific information maintained by the IPCC National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Program to help the inventory compilers develop better quality national greenhouse gas inventories in a cost-effective way.

Bovine Innovative Greenhouse Gas Solutions (BIGGS) project (2011-13). Invited participant in the Protocol Scientific Adaptation Team, for the Bovine Innovative Greenhouse Gas Solutions (BIGGS) project. The project aims at creating carbon credits generated from various beef and dairy production practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Greenhouse Gasses in Animal Agriculture Conference (www.GGAA2010.org): Banff, Alberta, Oct. 2010, member of the local organizing committee, program committee, and co-editor of the proceedings.  This is the major international conference for environment-livestock interactions Participated on an organization committee to setup the Greenhouse Gases (GHG) in Animal Agriculture Conference held in Banff, Alberta, Canada in October of 2010.  The conference had over 400 delegates from 36 countries, an attendance that attests to the global research effort that is ongoing in this area.

United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA): Invited member of the Expert Panel (2007) to explore development of a Coordinated Research Project on straw digestibility, The Animal Production and Health Section, Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture.

 

Key publications

  1. Zhang, X., Medrano, R.F., Wang, M., Beauchemin, K.A., Ma, Z., Wang, R., Wen, J., Bernard, L.A., Tan, Z. (2019). Effects of urea plus nitrate pretreated rice straw and corn oil supplementation on fiber digestibility, nitrogen balance, rumen fermentation, microbiota and methane emissions in goats. Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology, [online] 10(1), http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40104-019-0312-2

    2019 - View publication details

  2. Cordeiro, M.R.C., Rotz, A., Kroebel, R., Beauchemin, K.A., Hunt, D., Bittman, S., Koenig, K.M., McKenzie, D.B. (2019). Prospects of forage production in northern regions under climate and land-use changes: A case-study of a dairy farm in Newfoundland, Canada. Agronomy, [online] 9(1), http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9010031

    2019 - View publication details

  3. McGeough, E.J., Passetti, L.C.G., Chung, Y.H., Beauchemin, K.A., McGinn, S.M., Harstad, O.M., Crow, G., McAllister, T.A. (2019). Methane emissions, feed intake, and total tract digestibility in lambs fed diets differing in fat content and fibre digestibility. Canadian Journal of Animal Science, [online] 99(4), 858-866. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjas-2018-0185

    2019 - View publication details

  4. Wei, C., Guyader, J., Collazos, L., Beauchemin, K.A., Zhao, G.Y. (2019). Effects of gallic acid on in vitro rumen fermentation and methane production using rumen simulation (Rusitec) and batch-culture techniques. Animal Production Science, [online] 59(2), 277-287. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/AN17365

    2019 - View publication details

  5. Nasrollahi, S.M., Zali, A., Ghorbani, G.R., Kahyani, A., Beauchemin, K.A. (2019). Short communication: Blood metabolites, body reserves, and feed efficiency of high-producing dairy cows that varied in ruminal pH when fed a high-concentrate diet. Journal of Dairy Science (JDS), [online] 102(1), 672-677. http://dx.doi.org/10.3168/jds.2018-15022

    2019 - View publication details

  6. Cowley, F., Jennings, J., Cole, A., Beauchemin, K. (2019). Recent advances to improve nitrogen efficiency of grain-finishing cattle in North American and Australian feedlots, 59(11), 2082-2092. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/AN19259

    2019 - View publication details

  7. Aboagye, I.A., Baron, V.S., Oba, M., Guyader, J., Beauchemin, K.A. (2019). In vitro degradation and methane production of short-season corn hybrids harvested before or after a light frost. Canadian Journal of Animal Science, [online] 99(4), 741-753. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjas-2018-0188

    2019 - View publication details

  8. Henry, B.K., Eckard, R.J., Beauchemin, K.A. (2018). Review: Adaptation of ruminant livestock production systems to climate changes, 12(s2), S445-S456. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1751731118001301

    2018 - View publication details

  9. Pogue, S.J., Kröbel, R., Janzen, H.H., Beauchemin, K.A., Legesse, G., de Souza, D.M., Iravani, M., Selin, C., Byrne, J., McAllister, T.A. (2018). Beef production and ecosystem services in Canada's prairie provinces: A review, 166 152-172. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2018.06.011

    2018 - View publication details

  10. Miorin, R.L., Holtshausen, L., Baron, V., Beauchemin, K.A. (2018). In situ rumen degradation of kernels from short-season corn silage hybrids as affected by processing. Translational Animal Science, [online] 2(4), 428-438. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/tas/txy084

    2018 - View publication details

  11. Koenig, K.M., Beauchemin, K.A., McGinn, S.M. (2018). Feeding condensed tannins to mitigate ammonia emissions from beef feedlot cattle fed high-protein finishing diets containing distillers grains. Journal of Animal Science, [online] 96(10), 4414-4430. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/sky274

    2018 - View publication details

  12. Koenig, K.M., Beauchemin, K.A. (2018). Effect of feeding condensed tannins in high protein finishing diets containing corn distillers grains on ruminal fermentation, nutrient digestibility, and route of nitrogen excretion in beef cattle. Journal of Animal Science, [online] 96(10), 4398-4413. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/sky273

    2018 - View publication details

  13. Terry, S.A., Ribeiro, G.d.O., Gruninger, R.J., Hunerberg, M., Ping, S., Chaves, A.V., Burlet, J., Beauchemin, K.A., McAllister, T.A. (2018). Effect of humic substances on rumen fermentation, nutrient digestibility, methane emissions, and rumen microbiota in beef heifers. Journal of Animal Science, [online] 96(9), 3863-3877. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/sky265

    2018 - View publication details

  14. Guyader, J., Baron, V.S., Beauchemin, K.A. (2018). Corn forage yield and quality for silage in short growing season areas of the canadian prairies. Agronomy, [online] 8(9), http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/agronomy8090164

    2018 - View publication details

  15. Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture is an important way to mitigate climate change. Diet manipulation influences enteric fermentation and has the potential to reduce GHG emissions; however, few studies have examined the effect of diet composition on GHG emissions after manure is applied to the soil. We conducted a 70-day lab incubation experiment to investigate this knowledge gap and analyze how different manure types affect soil biogeochemical cycling and GHG emissions. We are analyzing the results now and a poster will be prepared and presented at the 21. 21st World Congress of Soil Science in August 2018.

    2018 - View publication details

  16. Moate, P.J., Jacobs, J.L., Hannah, M.C., Morris, G.L., Beauchemin, K.A., Alvarez Hess, P.S., Eckard, R.J., Liu, Z., Rochfort, S., Wales, W.J., Williams, S.R.O. (2018). Adaptation responses in milk fat yield and methane emissions of dairy cows when wheat was included in their diet for 16 weeks. Journal of Dairy Science (JDS), [online] 101(8), 7117-7132. http://dx.doi.org/10.3168/jds.2017-14334

    2018 - View publication details

  17. Jen Owens, Xiying Hao, Ben W. Thomas, Jessica L. Stoeckli, Francis J. Larney, Karen A. Beauchemin, Tim A. McAllister. 2018. Do the effects of dietary greenhouse gas inhibitors persist in beef cattle manure during composting and stockpiling? 2018 Joint Meeting of the CGU-CSSS-CIG-CSAFM-ESSSA. June 10-14, 2018. Niagara Falls, ON. Canada.

    2018 - View publication details

  18. Beauchemin, K.A. (2018). Invited review: Current perspectives on eating and rumination activity in dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science (JDS), [online] 101(6), 4762-4784. http://dx.doi.org/10.3168/jds.2017-13706

    2018 - View publication details

  19. Chibisa, G.E., Beauchemin, K.A. (2018). Effects of feeding corn silage from short-season hybrids and extending the backgrounding period on production performance and carcass traits of beef cattle. Journal of Animal Science, [online] 96(6), 2490-2503. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jas/sky099

    2018 - View publication details

  20. Legesse, G., Cordeiro, M.R.C., Ominski, K.H., Beauchemin, K.A., Kroebel, R., McGeough, E.J., Pogue, S., McAllister, T.A. (2018). Water use intensity of Canadian beef production in 1981 as compared to 2011. Science of the Total Environment, [online] 619-620 1030-1039. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.11.194

    2018 - View publication details

Research facility

5403 1st Avenue South
Lethbridge, AB T1J 4B1
Canada

Affiliations

2005-2020 Adjunct Professor, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

2005-2020 Adjunct Professor, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

2017-2020 Adjunct Professor, Graduate Faculty, Utah State University, Logan, UT

Language

English