Dealing WIth Heat Stress- Dr Michelle Calvo-Lorenzo On What To Look For And How To Respond

Jul 22, 2014

Temperatures will be into the 90s and low 100s the next several days- and the heat index is expected to be even hotter than that- and your cattle need you to pay attention how they are handling the heat and the bright sun. Dr. Michelle Calvo-Lorenzo is riding to the rescue in today's Beef Buzz, with some things to look for and some common sense solutions that you can control in order to deal with heat stress that your cattle may be facing.

Dr. Calvo-Lorenzo is with the Animal Science Department at Oklahoma State University and she talked in recent days with Dave Deken of the OSU Ag Communications Department about how you can help your cattle cope with the heat. She indicates that cattle producers need to be watching for signs of heat stress- and among the surest indicators of heat stress during hot weather are cattle breathing faster, in some cases panting- that's where animals are breathing fast with open mouths and usually drooling. If they are out in the open and you see these indicators- it's time to respond with aggressive action in a hurry.

When it comes to common sense ideas to make sure your cattle are coping with the heat- Dr. Calvo-Lorenzo says here best three ideas include first, providing animals shade, second- not impeding on the air flow or ventilation of their environment and number three supplying clean water.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.