Research Pinpoints Why Dairy Cows Produce Less Milk in Warm Weather and Develops Nutrition-Based Solution
A new Cornell-led study funded by a Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) Seeding Solutions grant has found a nutrition-based solution to restore milk production in heat-stressed cows, while also pinpointing the cause of the decline. This study’s breakthroughs will inform further research that could reveal how different feed additives or changes to the staple diet of cows across the U.S. can sustainably increase milk production, even as temperatures continue to climb. Currently, sprinklers and fans are the primary ways used to mitigate heat stress on cows, but these strategies consume water, burn fossil fuels and only restore about 60% of milk production.
