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Heat stress is a crucial concern when it comes to lactating dairy cattle, both from a welfare and economic standpoint on our dairy farms. Much research has been conducted to elucidate the effects of heat stress on lactating cows and to develop effective heat abatement strategies.
As summer months get closer and temperatures begin to ramp up, dairy producers from all over the world start to think of strategies to minimize the effects of heat stress on their farming operation.
Warmer temperatures will be here soon. It’s time to start strategizing. As temperatures begin to rise in April and May, humidity can follow. This combination of temperature and humidity can impact your herd. The temperature-humidity index (THI) is an indicator of when heat stress may occur.
When choosing the ridge ventilation component in your natural ventilation system, it is important to remember there are several different styles that all work a little differently and will impact your ventilation and building design.
As producers are looking to make improvements on their operations, cow cooling strategies have quickly become the main topic of discussion on most of my farm visits these days.
It is assumed that the lactating group is the most important stage of production for optimal herd performance and profitability. On the contrary, dry cows and transition cows should be, in fact, the focal point of the dairy operation.
High-pressure fogging (HPF) systems are not new to the dairy industry, but there are a lot of misconceptions and a lack of information when it comes to the proper application.
I grew up not too far from Six Flags Great America. The American Eagle is the tallest and fastest racing wooden roller coaster in the world. Its first drop gives me the feeling most dairy farmers must have felt this spring, not exhilarating, but gut-wrenching. Mandates to dump milk and cut production combined with plummeting milk prices and uncertainty as far as the eye could see were enough to give anyone that nauseous feeling.
It is estimated that in the U.S., environmental heat stress in cows costs the dairy industry more than $1.5 billion annually due to decreased milk production, impaired reproductive performance, increased rates of illness and shortened life spans. But what effects does heat stress in pregnant cows have on the productivity and health of their female offspring in the future, and how much might this affect dairy producers’ costs?
It’s hot enough these days to fry an egg on the hood of a tractor. Heat stress is a major issue, even in Canada. Yet not much is said about the negative effects of heat stress in calves. Most of our effects focus on cooling the adult milking cows. However, heat stress can also negatively impact the calves. If the calf’s dam was heat stressed during the dry period, the negative consequences could last a lifetime.
