By Dr. AJ Tarpoff
During this time in the middle of summer, heat stress can quickly become a very real and dangerous problem for cattle herds. Radio Oklahoma Network Farm Director Ron Hays caught up with Kansas State University Extension Veterinarian AJ Tarpoff to find out more about identifying and reducing heat stress.
Several factors including temperature, humidity, wind currents and sun radiation all greatly contribute to the overall effects of heat stress. It’s when cattle are unable to cool down periodically that really compounds the impact of these factors, causing major problems.
“One of the seldom talked about and one of the most important is actually the cumulative heat load,” Tarpoff said. “What that means is when we have multiple days of heat stress events, these animals never dissipate all the heat from the day before.”
Dr. Tarpoff suggests keeping an eye on weather reports to help anticipate potential heat stress events. If you expect to endure one, he says you can identify affected cattle by certain telltale behaviors, like deep breathing and panting, slobbering and congregating in shaded areas and around or in water.
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