QUALITY WATCH: How do you keep cows comfortable in the heat?

Steve Lehman, MMPA Member Representative

Over the past 50 years, there have been many changes in methods of keeping cows comfortable. The days of cows acting as a heat source to keep the barn warm have given way to designing facilities for maximizing cow comfort and increasing production. Major improvements have been in eave height, sidewall openings and air movement. Curtains and fans allow for better airflow through buildings, improving conditions that lead to respiratory and mastitis problems.

One relatively new method to improve cow comfort in the Great Lakes area has been the use of sprinkler systems, both in feeding areas and in holding pens. Improvements in nozzle design and control technology have come a long way from early methods of water distribution. While the evaporative cooling offered by these systems is an efficient way to cool cows, care must be taken to minimize the amount of water used, especially in the holding pen. Water is an excellent vector for the movement of bacteria, which can be detrimental to udder health and bacteria counts.

Keeping cows comfortable through building design and the use of modern technology is more proof of the adage, “if you take care of the cows, the cows will take care of you.”

Aluel Go Michigan Farm Energy Program, MSU Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

During the early years of MMPA’s partnership with the Michigan Farm Energy Program (MFEP) to conduct energy audits, Mike Marvin, retired MMPA field staff supervisor, noticed that some of the audited dairy farms had between a 10 to 15 percent decline in milk production during the summer months.

With Mike’s prodding, we looked into MMPA’s monthly total production over five years to see if this summer production dip was a statewide occurrence - it was not. If you observe a significant summer production dip, that means your operation is losing money during a period when it does not have to.

Make sure you have adequate and uniform ventilation. Clean and maintain your fans since dust and grime build-up on the blades and motor reduces performance and energy efficiency. Use automated control systems based on humidity and temperature for your ventilation system. After measuring wind speed in several barns and patiently observing cows and flies, five miles per hour wind circulation is the minimum wind circulation speed I recommend.

Bottom line the cost of regular maintenance, upgrading or enhancing your ventilation system to reduce summer heat stress and the potential production dip more than pays off in increased production and greater energy efficiency savings.

Darcy Green, MMPA Member

Last year, our farm installed a sprinkler system in our freestall barn to help our cows keep cool in the summer heat and to increase conception rates during the summer months. At first, we were concerned about adding water to our manure system, but we were able to find a sweet spot where the cows are comfortable without too much extra water. The project replaced our old fans with larger, variable speed, more efficient fans that increased wind speed in the barn.

COVID-19 delayed equipment installation so we haven’t seen the full effects of the project yet, but during August and September, feed intake didn’t drop as much in the upgraded barns compared to barns that we haven’t upgraded yet. There is also a noticeable difference when you walk through the updated barns. The cows are more comfortable, eating or laying in the freestalls chewing their cud, and they are no longer bunched up at the end of the barn.

The potential is there for this to be a great asset to the farm, but the jury is still out until we have a full year under our belt. We are already planning on it being a worthy investment and have ordered equipment to upgrade a few more free stall barns.