Guests: Dr. Israel Flamenbaum, Cow Cooling Solutions; Dr. Shimon Carmi, SH Design; and Dr. Lance Baumgard, Iowa State University

Spring is upon us in most parts of the world and the heat of summer will not be far behind. The impact that heat has on our cows can be devastating. Today’s episode will focus on managing dairy cows in high heat environments which takes a combination of mechanical intervention and precise feeding. 

Dr. Israel Flamenbaum spoke about his summer lecture and the extreme environments that Israeli dairy farmers deal with. In the Jordan Valley, cows are under heat stress for almost six months per year. Whereas in the mountains there might be heat stress two or three months out of the year. But the cooling systems are the same. He explained that facilities there have high roofs and more space and lounging area for cows due to these extreme environments. (8:41)

Dr. Shimon Carmi discussed detecting stress in the herd and using different cooling practices to keep milk production steady. He mentioned farms starting the cooling practices early will still see a drop in milk production for a few days during those heat spikes but the farms starting their cooling practices later, and aren’t proactive about it, will experience decreased milk production for a month or longer after a heat spike. (28:00)

Dr. Lance Baumgard discussed data demonstrating in lactating cows, that lower producing cows will drink more water than higher producing cows. So the cow could be reducing milk yield to maintain healthy hydration. (37:15)

Dr. Shimon Carmi spoke about research to help desalinate water which could help immensely in the water depletion issues across the world. Cooling systems in dairy facilities are directly correlated to the water supply in that area and their water availability per facility. (49:08)

Dr. Israel Flamenbaum referred to a scientific committee that he heads whose mission is finding the appropriate cooling system for every kind of climate and dairy farm. (53:05)

Dr. Flamenbaum's articles he referenced can be found here:

https://outskirtspress.com/dairycalfandheiferfeedingandmanagement

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This podcast is sponsored by Balchem Animal Nutrition and Health.