The heat and humidity of a typical Arkansas summer combine to make a stressful environment for lactating dairy cows. During hot summer weather, milk production may decrease by as much as 50% and reproductive proficiency of lactating dairy cows is greatly diminished.

Ruminants are particularly affected by heat stress for several reasons. First, the heat from rumen fermentation is a plus during colder weather because it operates as an “internal furnace” for ruminants.

As a nutritionist, continually evaluating the dairy ration and cow comfort is critical to maintaining a producer’s production goals, especially in hot summer months.