Most of us know that a cow has four stomachs. Some of us might even be able to name all four. But far from everyone knows what they look like up close. 

Postdoc at the Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences Giulio Giagnoni has documented this with a photograph that has won the third prize in Danish National Research Foundation's annual photo competition. 

Now the three winning pictures and an additional ten pictures that made a special impression on the judges, have been loaned out to AU Viborg, where they will be on display from the 20th of February.  

Cow nutrition

Giulio Giagnoni's photo that secured him third place, shows the first two stomachs of a calf: the rumen and the reticulum.  

”I am proud that my photo made it to the podium in the competition. I hope it helps shed light on the complexity involved in producing a regular glass of milk", he says. 

The primary focus of his research is improving feed efficiency and reducing methane emissions from dairy cows. 

He has contributed to several scientific papers, including studies validating a three-dimensional camera system used to measure feed intake in dairy cows and identifying more climate friendly cows.

Giulio Giagnoni has also researched the effect of different types of feed and concentrates on the cows' productivity and methane emissions.  

His work is part of a broader effort to create more climate-friendly farming systems, and he has participated in several international conferences and symposiums on the subject.  

"Dairy cows are very good at transforming inedible plant fibres into food with a high nutritional value. The better we can optimise their feed and select the most climate friendly cows, the less impact on both the climate and the environment, when we drink a glass of milk," he says.  

In 2024, he was chosen as a  YOUNG-member of the European Federation of Animal Science's (EAAP) Cattle Commision.

Three AU researchers are featured

Aside from Giulio Giagnoni who placed third in the competition, two other researchers from Aarhus University have pictures on display in the exhibition. 

Christian Vium from Department of Anthropology won first place with his photograph "Epiphany, Amazon", and  Alena Salašová from Department of Biomedicine is also represented by her photo "'Tiny Titans 3D Journey", which was among the ten photos that recieved special recognition from the judges.  

If you want to see the fascinating images up close, they are currently on exhibition at AU Viborg. The photos can be seen during the building's regular opening hours.