Heat stress is a common and growing concern in dairy production. It is not limited to just warmer summer months or tropical regions but becomes a global issue. An optimal living environment for dairy cattle requires good climate. After all, a pleasant barn climate contributes to healthy happy cows and high productivity all year.
HERD HEALTH AND PRODUCTION
The comfort temperature of dairy cows is between 5-20°C (41-70F). Hot weather, humidity and no air movement causes heat stress and reduces milk production significantly. Cows cannot dissipate body heat as humans do. At a temperature of 22°C in combination with a high humidity level, a cow can already suffer from heat stress and her production rate declines.
Heat stress can be a problem all year. Many farms are affected just for a part of the year by warmth and humidity, but this does not mean only farms in warmer climates are subject to heat stressed cattle. Providing proper ventilation to dairy cattle has a dramatic effect on overall productivity as well as comfort and can save farmers major economic losses, even few months per year will make a difference. Dairy cows not affected by heat stress produce more milk; have lower respiration rates, higher conception rates resulting in more pregnancies and overall better health. When cows are comfortable they lie down and thereby produce more milk. The desired behavior is a cow laying comfortable on her mattress, producing milk. This can be induced by using the correct ventilation and equipment. When the cows show signs that they are out of the comfort zone and feel heat stress, dairy farmers have a lot to gain from improving the existing climate system in the barn and milking parlor to avoid previously mentioned negative impacts on the production results, reproduction rates and the increased risk for infections. Studies have proven that heat stress during the late gestation period has a severe negative influence on the milk production. Losses up to almost 1 litre per cow per day can be caused by heat stress. Therefore, creating a comfortable environment with the right barn climate for the cattle will secure production and animal welfare all year.
REDUCE HUMIDITY AND COOL DOWN COWS WITH WINDSPEED
Reducing the effects of heat stress on dairy cows while improving cow comfort to maintain the cows core body temperatures within their comfort zone can be achieved safely with the right equipment. Ventilation contributes greatly to high production and better effectiveness generating the best animal welfare and prevention in monetary losses in warm, humid weather conditions. Agriprom introduced a highly effective system to prevent heat stress for dairy cattle inside the barn with centrally placed fans. The system ensures maximum air circulation by pulling the fresh air from the open ridge and pushing it outside. In contrast to most conventional ventilation systems, Agriprom does not reuse the air inside. As the air is constantly moved, no heat accumulates in big amounts under the roof as well. The heat from the roof is a concerning factor in barns which have stagnant air. With continuous air movement at high speed, Agriprom ensures optimum air flow at all times. The aim to reduce humidity and cool down cows with windspeed is achieved both by pulling dryer air from outside as well as pushing it at high speed on cows. Creating an even bigger benefit for the farmer, the whole system operates at a very low ownership and operation costs. Easy to install and energy efficient, the operation cost is as little as 1.84kw per fan. This allows the farmer to improve total cow comfort and prevent otherwise inevitable losses of milk production (which would cost him heaps) at the same time.
Happy, healthy cows produce more- cooling the animals is the key to alleviating heat stress and loss of production. Agriprom's ventilation is a simple, economical, effective tool to support milking operations and reach more and better production with less energy consumption.
