When ventilating dairy facilities, minimizing heat stress is not the only concern.

As summer comes to an end, we must remember that heat stress can still play a role in our dairy production and that we still need to be vigilant on heat abatement for our dairy herds. We may be enjoying some cooler weather, but for high-producing dairy cows, the temperature is still running plenty warm for peak production. Days warmer than 50ºF still can create problems in the holding pens and milking parlors where cows are crowded together.

Taking a few minutes to calculate heat stress losses and their impact on your dairy’s bottom line can help you strategize for better heat abatement, which could mean more milk, improved fertility and even healthier calves.

As summer comes to an end, we must remember to keep our cool when it comes to heat abatement for our dairy herds. We may be enjoying some cooler weather, but for our high-producing dairy cows, the temperature is still running plenty warm for peak production.

As summer comes to an end, we must remember to keep our cool when it comes to heat abatement for our dairy herds. We may be enjoying some cooler weather, but for our high-producing dairy cows, the temperature is still running plenty warm for peak production. Days warmer than 10°C still can create problems in the holding pens and milking parlours where your cows are crowded together.

Editor’s note: The following article is the first in a series of articles regarding current heat stress research and heat abatement techniques. Winter in Minnesota, as usual, was very cold this year, especially in January. On one especially frigid day, the wind chill was -35ºF.