Sha Tao, dairy Extension specialist, spoke with Farm Monitor about UGA’s efforts to keep cows cool and comfortable amid rising heat.
“Actually, within the Southeast, Georgia is the only state where the dairy industry is growing,” Tao said. “Right now, we have about 74 dairy farms, but it’s about 85,000 milking cows. And you can see the dairy industry in Georgia is growing. We expect to see more cows in Georgia and more milk produced in Georgia.”
But temperatures in the warmer months can cause heat stress, which leads to cows producing less milk and being at higher risk for disease.
“So, heat stress is a critical issue in the dairy industry, especially in the Southeast,” Tao explained. “Without cooling, heat stress can reduce cow’s milk production by about 15% to 40%. And during the summertime, cows normally have increased disease, such as mastitis, and also have reduced reproductive performance. Everything can lead to a very significant economic loss to the dairy producers.”
Tao and his team are exploring multiple ways to keep cows cool.
“To manage heat stress, the first thing we need to do is cool cows,” he said. “We need to have shade for the cows and also provide evaporative cooling, which includes fans and misters or soakers. There are a lot of places we need to implement the cooling system — for example, the milking parlor, the holding pen, and also in the lactating cow barns.”
“There are a lot of food additives that can actually help the cow reduce body temperature and improve immunity,” Tao said. “Additionally, we work on how to manage dairy calves during the summertime — designing efficient cooling systems for calves and figuring out how to feed them properly to maintain performance.”