Heat stress in dairy cows can occur at temperatures of 22oC and above. A cow's digestive process creates a lot of heat energy (1.4 kW / day of heat for a cow producing 30 litres / day) which needs to be removed from the body but their ability to lose heat by sweating is very poor (10% of a human's ability). Read our Heat Stress Farming Note to find out how to minimise the risk and adapt rations to reduce problems arising from heat stress.
