Beef producers take steps to ward off heat stress, Officials report fewer cattle deaths this summer

By Greg Forbes, The Denison (IA) Bulletin and Review

Last year, August heat surprised cattle producers as more than 4,000 livestock deaths were reported throughout Iowa. While the summer this year has been, on average, harsher than 2011, cattle and farmers are better acclimated to the heat.

Dal Grooms, communications director for Iowa Cattlemen's Association, said farmers fell in to problems last year because the early summer was mild before temperatures hit triple digits in July and August. While temperatures have been equally as hot this summer, they have been much drier.

Dustin Vande Hoef, communications director for the Iowa Department of Agriculture, said farmers were possibly tricked by wet conditions last year. Therefore, cattle were not adjusted to the hot temperatures nor were producers prepared to fight the extreme heat.

Vande Hoef said cattle farmers learned from last year and have proceeded to water pastures to give livestock a cool place to lie. Some keep misters on cattle or frequently spray the animals to keep them cool.

"Cattle don't sweat to cool down like humans do. So one way producers try to keep cattle cool is by providing clean and fresh water," Vande Hoef stated.

This year, Grooms explained that producers have been watering cattle regularly and often and have increased their exposure to shade.

Chris Clark, a beef specialist with Iowa State University Extension, said the feed schedule for cattle is also important to reduce the effects of heat.

"Farmers should feed cattle 70 percent of their daily ration in the evening or at night," he explained.

When an animal is fed at night, the fermentation process of digestion can occur when the temperature is at its coolest.

"It just adds to the heat they are soaking up from the sun and the temperature," Clark said. "At least at night they don't have the sun constantly beating down on them."

The preparation by producers and the acclimation of cattle to the heat have led to a drastic decrease in heat-related deaths. Grooms said so far this year the largest reported loss of cattle from one lot was 40. Last year, a couple of lots in northeast Iowa reported losing as many as 200. She further explained that conditions got severe enough last year for some farmers to ask for emergency crews to spray cattle down with fire hoses.

Clark said one thing farmers have to be aware of with the heat is the nitrate level in corn. He explained that drought stressed corn tends to be high in nitrate, which is toxic to cattle. In order to prevent nitrate poisoning, cattle producers should send samples of their feed to the Iowa State Diagnostic lab or other local labs.

Most importantly, aside from improved health, the extreme heat has not greatly impacted beef prices as of yet. Clark explained that many producers have already turned their cattle to market and have pulled some off of pastures. The result has been a slight drop in prices.