Milk production often is the biggest casualty in the fight against heat stress. Research shows a 10-35%1 average milk production loss, adding up to $1.30 to $4.55 per cow per day.2 In a year of tight margins, not many dairy farmers can afford that loss.
When under heat stress, cows battle reduced dry matter intake and increased energy requirements. Make nutrition a key part of your strategy to defeat heat stress in dairy cattle. A University of Missouri study showed increased dry matter intake and milk yield when cows were fed Purina® Rally® Dairy Feed compared to cows fed sucrose.3
1Rhodes et al, 2009 JDS Collier et al, 2012 Ruminant Nutrition Symposium
2Assumed a 100 lbs/cow at stated lost milk production, assuming $13/cwt. milk price 3K. A. Davison, R. O. Rodrigues, J. A. Davidson, N. M. Barkley, A. L. Kenny, E. C. Adkins, and M. R. Waldron, University of Missouri, Columbia, Purina Animal Nutrition Center, Gray Summit, MO. Effects of a commercial feed additive on production losses during acute heat stress conditions in Holstein dairy cows, 2013 American Dairy Science Association Annual Meeting, Indianapolis, Ind.
4Purwanto, B.P., Y. Abo, R. Sakamoto, F. Furumoto, and S. Yamamoto. 1990. Diurnal patterns of heat production and heart rate under thermoneutral conditions in Holstein Friesian cows differing in milk production. J. Agric. Sci. 114:139-142.