Heat stress is a physiological drain on the dairy cow and an economic drain to the dairy industry that has long-term implications to cow health and productivity. Even after the warm season has subsided, impacts of heat stress still linger.

Phosphorus (P) is a vital nutrient for many physiological processes in the body and instrumental in milk production. In fact, nutritionists and producers often say that P is crucial for reproductive performance, although there is no literature to date that corroborates this statement. However, P is well known for its negative environmental implications when not properly handled in manure.