With sweltering heat wreaking havoc on Wisconsin farmers this week, it’s incredibly important to remember to watch for heat stress in livestock. This is especially true when it comes to dairy cattle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Heat stress is much more than being uncomfortable during scorching temps and early warning signs need to be caught before it’s too late. According to Dr. Jennifer Van Os, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist in Animal Welfare at UW-Madison’s Department of Dairy Science, “heat stress actually begins when the animal begins experiencing subjective discomfort and begin to show natural signs of attempting to cope with the heat.” As Van Os explains, when these natural attempts made by the cow itself to cope with extreme heat are unsuccessful, that impacts productivity and infertility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n