Explore all the information on
Heat stress in dairy cattle
Welcome to the page about Heat stress in dairy cattle of Engormix; a source of knowledge on Heat stress in dairy cattle.
Heat stress related production loss, compromised welfare and cattle mortality are global concerns which are increasing in the context of climate change and global warming. To maintain the welfare and performance of livestock, monitoring the effects of climatic extremes is important. Farming systems are becoming increasingly automated and remote/automated monitoring of animals is an ultimate need to overcome the limitations of human observation for continuous characterization of cows...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
In mid-June this year, I realized a professional visit to Spain, where I lectured at a national conference organized by one of the country’s most popular dairy newspaper, Vaca Pinta, followed by a week of lecturing and consultancy for large scale dairy farms with MSD, realized in different regions of Spain. Among the visited regions were Talavera, south of Madrid, Galicia, in the northwest of the country, in the Atlantic coast and then the regions close to the cities of Girona and...
Comments : 2
Recommendations: 0
Selsaf®, a natural source of selenium with dual protection and dual benefits
Suggested link
Israel is located in the eastern basin of the Mediterranean Sea and is characterized by a subtropical climate. Summer lasts from June to October and is characterized in most regions of the country by high temperatures and humidity at all hours of the day, but no rain at all. The Israeli dairy industry has about 120,000 cows that produce close to 1.5 billion liters per year. The annual milk yield per cow is the highest in the world and stood at more than 12,000 liters in 2021. The...
Comments : 2
Recommendations: 1
This article is written at the end of July, the hottest part of the year here in Israel, when every return home from abroad is first accompanied by going to the fridge to drink a lot of cold water. I decided that this is the right time to write about the importance of water in the dairy farm, especially for those located in warm regions. The issue of water in the dairy farm is an essential element in achieving milk yield, production efficiency and high profitability, especially in the warm...
Comments : 2
Recommendations: 4
An increase in the velocity of air, at a temperature lower than the surface temperature of the animal, has the potential to increase the sensible heat loss of the animal. An augmentation in air velocity will shift the upper critical temperature upwards. An effective ventilation system to reduce heat stress should emphasize the production of high air speed as much as the commonly accepted goal of reducing ambient temperature. Increasing the air velocity lowers the effective temperature...
Comments : 1
Recommendations: 1
Dr. Flamenbaum is a world-renowned agriculturist, bringing over four decades of expertise to the field of dairy cattle – specializing in strategic planning of dairy projects in warm climates, with emphasis on the relief of heat stress. ...
Comments : 1
Recommendations: 1
.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
NiaShure™ is rumen-protected niacin that helps lower internal body temperature; protecting milk production and reproductive performance during the hot summer months. ...
Comments : 1
Recommendations: 2
In a previous article published some years ago here, dealing with cooling project that I accompanied in northern Mexico, I described the results from the first and second years of its implementation. The data were presented in a limited way, for a series of dairy farms belonging to the "Alpura" dairy cooperative, located in the warm regions of northern Mexico and characterized by long summer months, with extreme heat load conditions for dairy cows. These farms are mainly large and...
Comments : 3
Recommendations: 2
Effect of feeding rumen-protected choline on performance, health and reproduction of dairy cows
Suggested link
In a previous article that I recently published, I dealt with the importance of drinking water and water for cooling the cows, when dealing with the summer heat. In this article, I would like to deal with another factor that I see as very important in the above-mentioned confrontation, and it is shade, or in other words, preventing the exposure of cows to direct and indirect solar radiation in the summer. Why is it important to protect cows from solar radiation in the summer? To...
Comments : 1
Recommendations: 1
Introduction Milk production losses in summer months are generally related to the negative impact of heat stress on cows in lactation and late gestation stages. In the last 4 decades, several studies have been carried out in different parts of the world to mitigate heat through the implementation of cooling systems. In recently published articles, the different benefits achieved by properly implementing these means were presented. Among these benefits can be seen those related...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 1
Selsaf®, a natural source of selenium with dual protection and dual benefits
Suggested link
Heat stress can have a huge impact on all cows; reducing dry matter intake, suppressing immune responses and decreasing reproductive performance. Dr. Geoff Dahl takes a closer look at how heat stress affects late gestation cows and the additional toll heat stress takes on the resulting calf. ...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
NiaShure is rumen-protected to shield the niacin from microbial degradation in the rumen while allowing release further down the digestive tract. Research shows that as much as 95% of raw niacin is broken down in the rumen. Balchem’s proprietary encapsulation process ensures that NiaShure reliably delivers significantly more niacin to the intestinal tract than raw niacin. ...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 2
The dairy industry is important for economic and food security in most countries of the world. Millions of producers around the world raise about 280 million dairy cows and produce close to a billion tons of milk a year. Global economic expansion in the last fifty years is reflected in lifestyle changes in many countries, which are also reflected in the increase in demand for milk and its products, and this is especially true for “emerging countries”. Global milk consumption is...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 4
The key to managing your herd through heat stress is being ready for it. Watching the weather forecast to understand the Temperature Humidity Index (THI) is the first step in managing heat stress. The color-coded chart and tips list can help you keep your cows comfortable during summer heat. It’s important to provide fresh, cool water (70-86 degrees F.) during times of heat stress so cows can drink enough to hydrate and cool their bodies. Ruminants can drink more than double the...
Comments : 19
Recommendations: 7
The summer of 2020 will be remembered as one of the hottest summers in Israel in decades. The summer heated many agricultural sectors, including the dairy industry. Beyond high heat load conditions throughout the summer, two unusual heat waves stood out in particular. The first heat wave was in May and the second in early September, as can be seen in fig 1. Fig. 1 – average daily milk production (kg) per cow in Israel in 2020. (blue line 2019, red...
Comments : 1
Recommendations: 0
Zeelim dairy farm is located in the south of Israel and characterized by desert conditions and low rainfall in winter (100-150 mm/year) November–March. In the last years, recycled water from the big Tel Aviv metropolitan area reached the region by pipelines where fields are cultivated by crops and orchards. This changed dramatically Zeelim climate to much more humid nights and increased general THI. In recent summers, cows experienced heat stress conditions 24/7 for almost 5...
Comments : 15
Recommendations: 6
Effect of feeding rumen-protected choline on performance, health and reproduction of dairy cows
Suggested link
The climate issue has been in the headlines lately. This article was written in the week that begins in Glasgow, Scotland, the Climate Conference, with the participation of many world leaders announcing the intention to completely eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas), by 2050. The global dairy industry is in this context and it is also in the headlines, and people point the finger of blame at the meat and milk industry, in that the emission of...
Comments : 5
Recommendations: 4
Heat stress is considered an influential factor in the profitability of dairy farms, especially in the hot regions of the world. In the first part of my article, previous to this, I described how heat stress impairs cow's performance and farm profitability. In the current article, I plan to show, based on the literature, my own experience and calculations, how proper cooling can reduce the negative effect of heat stress and contribute to increasing farm profitability.
In a survey...
Comments : 2
Recommendations: 1
Selsaf®, a natural source of selenium with dual protection and dual benefits
Suggested link
Heat stress will cost the global dairy sector an estimated $5 billion a year in 2050 (Wankar et al., 2021).To reduce the costs for both the farmer and animal, a more integrated approach regarding production, health and welfare is needed. The key lies in prediction...
Comments : 7
Recommendations: 2
Summer heat stress has been considered in these days as one of the greatest causes for losses in the world dairy sector. Italian Breeders Association (A.I.A.), adopted the Summer to Winter ratio (S:W) index, a heat stress assessment tool based on the ratio between summer (July – September) and winter (January – March) farm performances. S:W ratio has been developed in Israel and adopted recently in Italy and other countries, as a tool for detecting performance pitfalls in summer...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
