Winterville, GA |

As summer temperatures climb in Georgia, so does the pressure on the state’s dairy industry. Fortunately, a team at the University of Georgia is working hard to help producers beat the heat and keep cows comfortable—an effort that could have a major impact on milk production and profitability.

“Actually, within the Southeast, Georgia is the only state where the dairy industry is growing,” says Dr. Sha Tao, Dairy Extension Specialist at UGA. “Right now we have about seventy-four dairy farms, but it’s about eighty-five thousand 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.”

That continued growth, however, faces one major challenge: the Georgia heat. With temperatures routinely soaring into the triple digits during summer, cows can experience heat stress, leading to reduced milk production and increased disease risk.

“So, heat stress is a critical issue in the dairy industry, especially in the Southeast,” Tao explains. “Without cooling, heat stress can reduce cow’s milk production by about fifteen to forty percent. 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.”

To help mitigate those losses, Tao and his team at UGA are exploring a number of innovative strategies to keep cows cool, comfortable, and productive.

“To manage heat stress, the first thing we need to do is cool cows,” he says. “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.”

But the work doesn’t stop there. Researchers are also evaluating feed additives and studying best practices for caring for dairy calves during the heat of summer.

“There are a lot of food additives that can actually help the cow reduce body temperature and improve immunity,” Tao explains. “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.”

By: Damon Jones