Dairy Cooling: The Benefits & Strategies

Jun 15, 2016

By UW-Extension

Heat stress adversely affects dairy cows in a variety of ways. A cow suffering from heat stress, for example, produces less milk, conceives less often, and is at a greater risk of contracting a range of debilitating and even deadly diseases. The severity of the effects directly related to heat stress vary significantly by climate, with estimated production losses at dairies without cooling ranging from 403 pounds per cow per year in Wisconsin to almost 4,000 pounds per cow per year in Florida. Heat stress can also have a major effect on reproduction cycles. Clearly, as global temperatures increase and dairies expand to meet a growing demand, the costs of heat stress and the need to mitigate it will increase as well. Fortunately, the effects of heat stress can be reduced by implementing properly designed and operated ventilation systems and employing effective cow cooling strategies. A 2003 analysis found that providing dairy cows with an optimal level of cooling reduces the total cost of heat stress and its mitigation by an average of 43% across the US, as compared to if no cooling measures were taken.

To help producers better understand the costs associated with heat stress and the measures that can be taken to alleviate it, UW-Madison PhD Student Ian Atkins, UW Madison Department of Biological Systems Engineering Dr. Christopher Choi and UW-Extension Dairy Engineer (professor emeritus) Brian Holmes provides Dairy Cooling: the Benefits and Strategies summary, which heat stress characteristics and their effects in more detail and also the various systems and strategies now available for heat stress relief.

Source : uwex.edu

Video: Swine Industry Advances: Biodigesters Lower Emissions and Increase Profits

Analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG emissions) in the Canadian swine sector found that CH4 emissions from manure were the largest contributor to the overall emissions, followed by emissions from energy use and crop production.

This innovative project, "Improving Swine Manure-Digestate Management Practices Towards Carbon Neutrality With Net Zero Emission Concepts," from Dr. Rajinikanth Rajagopal, under Swine Cluster 4, seeks to develop strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

While the management of manure can be very demanding and expensive for swine operations, it can also be viewed as an opportunity for GHG mitigation, as manure storage is an emission source built and managed by swine producers. Moreover, the majority of CH4 emissions from manure occur during a short period of time in the summer, which can potentially be mitigated with targeted intervention.

In tandem with understanding baseline emissions, Dr. Rajagopal's work focuses on evaluating emission mitigation options. Manure additives have the potential of reducing manure methane emissions. Additives can be deployed relatively quickly, enabling near-term emission reductions while biodigesters are being built. Furthermore, additives can be a long-term solution at farms where biogas is not feasible (e.g., when it’s too far from a central digester). Similarly, after biodigestion, additives can also be used to further reduce emissions from storage to minimize the carbon intensity of the bioenergy.