By John Yost
I wish that the weather would just pick a side. Although I would much prefer a sunny 75-degree day, if there is going to be precipitation, I would prefer either rain or snow. Freezing rain, or ice, just makes for a miserable day. But, as Ohioans, we know that there will be several days each year that will just be miserable. Dealing with ice on the roads can be a nightmare, but we can only avoid it by staying home. As it turns out, our livestock dislike these cold rainy days just as much as we do.
We are all aware of the animal production and welfare issues that accompany heat stress. Much of the temperature related research has focused on heat stress management in dairy cattle. We know that any species of livestock will struggle in the heat of summer, but the cold of winter can be even more challenging. Freezing temperatures, rain, snow, mud, and wind all present challenges and when they appear on the same day, it can seriously complicate the lives of our animals.
Ruminant livestock can tolerate surprisingly cold temperatures. The heat that is generated by the rumen can keep them warm at temperatures well below freezing, if they have their winter hair coat and are of acceptable body condition score.
The 'feels like' temperature tells the real story
Similar to the Thermal Heat Index (THI) there is a Thermal Cold Index (TCI) which can be used to identify when environmental conditions have deteriorated to a point that our livestock may not be able to adapt. The index provides a “feels like” temperature for a given thermometer reading and wind speed. Much of the research looking at cold stress has been done with beef cattle, but we can use the information to make general conclusions relevant to the other species. The low critical temperature for beef cattle has been determined to be 18 to 20 degrees. Researchers at North Dakota State University have found that mature beef cows, in good body condition during mid-gestation can tolerate temperatures down to minus 6 degrees if it is a calm, dry day. However, if animals have a summer coat or are wet, the critical low temperature can be as high as 59 degrees.
When the TCI drops below the critical lower limit, producers will need to implement management changes to help their animals through those tough days. Livestock usually eat about 2.5% of their body weight in dry matter each day. This can increase to 3.5% as the “feels like” temperature decreases. For each degree below the low critical temperature, their average energy requirement will also increase by about 1%. So, in addition to providing more feed, you should provide better quality feed as well.
In addition to providing better nutrition, other management practices should be:
- Give them access to dry ground. A muddy hair/wool coat is just a bad as a wet coat.
- Provide a shelter from the wind. This could be barn access, a wooded area, a row of round bales, or a brushy fence row.
- Access to plenty of fresh water. Utilize stock tank heaters, heated waterers, or just regularly bust up the ice so that they can drink when desired
These may be points that you know from past experience but one situation we may not recognize is exposure during transportation. It could be a cold dry day, with no wind, but when we transport them on an open trailer, we are creating the wind chill as we drive down the road. If it is 10 degrees, and you are driving at 45 miles per hour, the feels-like temperature can be minus 38 degrees. As mentioned earlier, livestock can begin feeling the effects of cold stress at temperatures as high as 59 degrees. Which means we may need to close off openings in the trailer much earlier than we would expect.
Ag Outlook, pesticide/fertilizer certifications, Commodity Marketing School
As we move into the new year, there is a full line-up of programs. January 7th is our 2025 Ag Outlook meeting. We are thrilled to again have Dr. Chris Wolf from Cornell University as a part of the program. He will be discussing the new federal milk marketing orders and what they mean for Wayne County dairy producers. In addition, we will have: Barry Ward providing an input cost outlook, Aaron Wilson with a 2025 weather outlook, Dr. Seungki Lee discussing the feed grain markets, and Clint Walenciak from Certified Angus Beef giving an overview of the retail beef market. The program will be held at the Secrest Arboretum Welcome Center from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The cost is $20 and lunch and refreshments will be provided.
There will be two private pesticide and fertilizer applicator certification opportunities in January. These first two are in Holmes County. January 21st program will be held at Mt. Hope Livestock Auction and January 30th will be at the Harvest Ridge Event Center in Millersburg. You will need to call the Holmes County Extension Office to register for both of those opportunities. The last January program will be January 29th when we will host our Commodity Marketing School. In addition to talks on completing your key financial documents and crop insurance options or 2025, we will host Dr. Ken Burdine from the University of Kentucky who will talk about beef cattle marketing and Dr. Carl Zulauf who will discuss post-harvest grain marketing strategies. If you want to know more about our upcoming programs (including upcoming Agronomy School, and Farm Transition Workshop) you can check out the events calendar on our webpage at http://wayne.osu.edu. As always, I hope that you have a safe and prosperous week.
Source : osu.edu