A cow’s comfort level affects her health, productivity and performance if not assessed routinely over time. How are you gauging the comfort level of your cows, especially when it comes to the farm’s cow housing environment, particularly freestalls? “We all understand the importance of cow comfort,” Rick Grant, president of the William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute, says. “There’s nothing more important to the cow’s comfort in terms of her environment than her lying surface.” There are several indices currently used to determine how comfortable the animals are in relation to their housing environment. Grant points out that three of the principal indices are the cow comfort index, the stall standing index and the stall use index.

Summer is here and temperatures are soaring throughout the country. If you are sweating up a storm while working on your dairy, imagine how your cows feel. What methods are you using to mitigate the summer heat and its effects on your herd? Whether you provide your cows with shade, install fans or misters, or use a combination of these options on your dairy operation, make sure cow cooling is a top priority, especially during the summer months. In this article, Progressive Dairyman has asked companies that provide cow cooling products for updates on existing products or new offerings available to producers. Continue reading to see what company representatives had to say.