It is warm out there, and Mother Nature keeps turning up the thermostat a little further each day. Of course, we have the option of air conditioning and multiple ways to keep ourselves cool. When it comes to animals, we need to ensure we are providing options to keep them cool.
We are already starting to hear reports of cattle being lost to extreme heat. In Kansas, they see hot temps, no wind, and cattle dying in feed lots. Warmer areas of the country have cattle who are accustomed to heat, but not the humidity.
Scarlett Hagins is VP of the Kansas Livestock Association, and she talks about the problems cattle have in different types of summer conditions.
Karla Jenkins is an Extension range management cow-calf specialist in Nebraska, and she talks about what producers all over the Midwest need to be doing to help these cattle.
If you see signs of heat stress, make sure you are checking with your veterinarian to look at options to treat these animals.
