Climate-neutral milk production praised as this year's original idea

Green fields are not just pleasant to drive by. Grass is the crop which can fixate the most carbon in the soil, making it an instrument to minimise climate change. However, there is a problem. The cows that eat the grass release more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than the grass can fixate in the soil.

Carsten Stefan Malisch from Aarhus University aims to address this imbalance with his research idea by introducing tannin-rich plants into the grass consumed by cows. Tannins are found in grapes but also in plant species which can grow in grasslands. The advantage of these tannin-rich plants is that they not only affect the cows' digestive system in a way that reduces methane emissions, but they also have a positive effect on the soil. It is precisely these positive effects that Carsten Stefan Malisch plans to leverage to improve the climate footprint of grazing cows and increase carbon in the soil. The goal is to achieve climate-neutral milk production while reducing the competition between food and forage.

This idea is so original in its approach that Carsten Stefan Malisch, a Tenure Track assistant professor at the Department of Agroecology at Aarhus University, is awarded the prize for "Idea of the Year 2022".

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The award is presented by Independent Research Fund Denmark to a researcher who, in the past year, has introduced a research idea demonstrating a distinct degree of originality - for instance, in the choice of topic, approach or methodology.

"Carsten Stefan Malisch's research project is innovative and unique because it presents a holistic solution, expected to contribute entirely new knowledge that could have significant implications for agricultural approaches and the environment as a whole," states Jørgen Frøkiær, Chairman of the Board Independent Research Fund Denmark, adding: "Carsten Stefan Malisch's research project includes important and nuanced perspectives for understanding how environments are connected on a larger scale by combining relevant disciplines."

Recipient of the prize and agro-ecologist, Carsten Stefan Malisch, is happy to be selected as the winner of the award: "First and foremost, I am, of course, very proud. The topic of my project is something that means a lot to me personally. Therefore, I am truly excited that my project was chosen as the Idea of the Year," says Carsten Stefan Malisch.

Great impact and international collaboration

To achieve the ambitious goals of the research idea, Carsten Stefan Malisch has teamed up with some of the best and most innovative researchers in the world. For example, genetic analyses will be conducted at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, the impact on the soil will be studied in collaboration with LUKE in Finland, and the effect of tannins on methane production will be tested at Wageningen University in the Netherlands.

 "I hope that the awareness we gain from this project will also lead to a discussion about the consequences of our choices as a society and as consumers since we are in the luxurious situation of living in a country where we can decide how we want our food to be produced," explains Carsten Stefan Malisch and elaborates: "It is precisely because we want to ensure that farmers committing to innovation and environmentally friendly practices are rewarded for this. I am excited to be part of finding these solutions, and receiving the award is already an excellent sign that others believe in the potential of our idea. Hopefully, it will lead us to start appreciating both our food and our environment more again."

The idea and Carsten Stefan Malisch will be honoured at Independent Research Fund Denmark’s annual research conference on the afternoon of October 5th. Carsten Stefan Malisch has previously received the Sapere Aude: DFF Research Leadership Grant of 6.1 million Danish kroner from the fund for his outstanding research idea in 2022.