The weather report says it’s going to be a scorcher, and sure enough – the temperatures start steadily climbing. Cattle start grouping in shady spots. A few cows start panting to stay cool. The flies settle in. And, suddenly, you’ve got a herd struggling with heat stress.

The heat may be unavoidable, but you can take proactive steps to mitigate its impact on your herd. First, let’s look at the dangers of heat stress in cattle.

When temperatures rise

Cattle have sweat glands, but it’s not a very efficient way for them to cool off. Instead, they rely on respiration, or opening their mouths and panting, to help them dissipate heat. When it’s 80 degrees or hotter out, their ability to regulate their own temperature becomes a big challenge. You start to see behavior changes – more time in the shade, less time grazing, and increased water consumption.

To make the heat even more challenging:

• A cow’s rumen activity naturally increases body heat. Fermentation occurs in the rumen, producing heat as bacteria break down and digest forages.
• Cattle seek shade to help keep cool. Grouping up in the shade sometimes has the reverse effect and creates a lot of radiant heat between cows. The thermometer might read 90 degrees, but the temperature in the middle of the group could be much hotter.
• Crowded cattle attract more flies, causing animals to move even closer together to protect themselves.
• Animals with dark hides have a higher risk of suffering heat stress than those with lighter-colored hides.

Suddenly your herd feels overheated and cattle are less likely to graze.

When grazing stops

Forage is the number one nutrition source for cows on pasture. If they aren’t grazing as much during a heatwave, they’re probably not meeting their cattle nutrition requirements.

When cows don’t get adequate nutrition, they’re at risk of:

• Losing body condition
• Taking longer to rebreed
• Producing less milk for their growing calf
• Generating a weaker immune response to health challenges
• Long-term fertility consequences

If cattle are too hot to graze, they may also be too hot to consume mineral at target intake levels. If you’re using a fly control mineral and intakes are below target levels, cows no longer benefit from it because they aren’t getting a full dose of fly control.

Curb heat stress in cattle by planning for proper shade, water and the right nutrition program.

11 hot weather tips for cattle

1. Ensure access to fresh, clean water. A brood cow drinks 25 to 30 gallons of water on a normal day. She’ll drink even more in hot weather.
2. Check water tanks often to make sure they are clean and free of contamination (algae, feces, organic material, etc.). You might need additional portable tanks to ensure adequate access.
3. Place water tanks in shaded areas to keep water cool if possible. Keep waterers several feet away from buildings or fences, so cattle can access water from all sides.
4. Offer supplements to help cows make the most of their forages. Accuration^® Supplements with Intake Modifying Technology^® help feed necessary rumen microbes to keep cattle eating and encourages snack eating behavior.
5. Choose a mineral designed for consistent consumption during hot weather, like Purina^® Wind and Rain^® Summer Season Mineral.
6. Control flies to prevent further stress and grazing disturbance. Purina^® Wind and Rain^® Fly Control Mineral contain Altosid^® IGR, an insect growth regulator offering a beneficial mode of action to deliver fly control via cattle nutrition. Consider Purina^® Wind and Rain^® Fly Control Mineral to stop the horn fly life cycle by preventing pupae from developing into biting, breeding adult flies.
7. Supply ample shade. Whether it’s provided by trees, a manmade building or portable structures, shade is critical. It might be necessary to move cattle to a pasture with trees or additional shade.
8. Strategically move rotational grazing herds to fresh pastures in the late afternoon/early evening instead of the morning. Cows will have access to fresh grass when temperatures are beginning to cool and will be more likely to graze.
9. Work cattle as early in the day as possible when temperatures are lower.
10. Don’t graze pastures short before moving cows to another. Pastures with taller, thicker grass feel cooler than pastures with short grass where more soil surface is exposed.
11. Observe cattle frequently and take precautions when hot and humid weather is forecast.

Source: Chris Forcherio, Ph.D.
Beef Research Manager

QUICK, TIMELY CONSIDERATIONS FOR YOUR PURINA CATTLE MINERAL PROGRAM.

• Understand your phosphorus levels as grasses dry down. For grass low in phosphorus, consider a high-phosphorus cattle mineral to meet animal needs.
• Continue using Purina® Wind and Rain® Storm® Fly Control Mineral with Altosid® (IGR) 30 days after the first frost to prevent flies from overwintering and jump-starting spring populations.
• Building base mineral and vitamin stores pre-weaning can help calves stay healthy. Provide Purina® Stress Tubs for calves in the creep feeder cage. If you don’t creep feed, make sure calves have access to a cattle mineral feeder with the rest of the cowherd.
• Cows may crave salt more as grasses dry down. It can be helpful to provide additional salt in a granular mineral mix. Provide free-choice salt if using a cattle mineral tub that does not contain salt (i.e. non-complete).

Try Purina® minerals today through the Feed Greatness® Challenge and prepare your cattle for fall.

Source: Kent Tjardes, Ph.D., Field Cattle Consultant

Do you know the benefits of cattle tub and block supplements? Cattle Tub and block supplements are a good way to supplement when forage is poor. Supporting cattle’s nutrient needs as forage quality declines is a must. But how can you accomplish this in an efficient, easy-to-manage way?

Cattle Tub and block supplements are a great option to keep cattle performing at their peak without the stress of additional labor or management needs. Here are three reasons to choose blocks or tubs for your supplementation needs:

1. Labor savings
Tubs and blocks offer easier management to save you time and labor compared to other product forms. With tubs and blocks being convenient self-fed forms, they provide nutrition 24/7, allowing all cows a chance to consume the product when they need it. Since you don’t need to deliver supplements every day, you save on feed delivery time and costs.

New ClearView packaging for Purina® RangeLand® Protein tubs expands the labor savings and convenience even more. With colored tubs, you need to get close to the tubs to see how much product is remaining. With the new clear tubs, you can see the product from a distance. You can easily see how much product is left and better monitor intake while saving time and labor checking tubs.

2. Supports intake
Tubs and blocks offer a convenient way for cattle to get the nutrition they need when forages decline in quality and are deficient in protein, energy, vitamins, and minerals. They allow cows to eat what they need when they need it.

Putting out supplement tubs as soon as forage quality starts to decline, or before, ensures cattle don’t miss a beat. And, with blocks containing Intake Modifying Technology®, cattle can consume small amounts of supplement and gradually increase intake as forage quality declines.

Protein or high-fat tubs and blocks are designed as a supplement to forage, not a substitution. Intake levels can give you an indication of whether or not you need to adjust your available forage. If supplement intake reaches the upper end of the targeted intake levels on the tag, it’s an indication there’s probably not enough forage available, and you may want to provide additional hay or other forages.

3. Flexible product options
Both blocks and cooked tubs accomplish the same thing – stimulating forage intake, delivering protein, energy, vitamins and minerals, and aiding digestion. The difference is in how they are manufactured and used. Regardless of form, you have options based on your specific needs.

Cooked tubs, like Purina® RangeLand® Protein tubs, are molasses-based and provide very consistent intake at 0.5-1 pound per head per day. They are formed by cooking molasses under a vacuum until very low in moisture. Dry ingredients are then mixed with the cooked molasses, poured into tubs, and cooled over 24 hours. The end product is very hard and has a crystalline texture. This hardness is what controls the level of consumption. Cooked tubs absorb moisture from the environment or animals licking on them. The moisture dissolves a thin layer of product for cattle to eat.

Block products, such as Purina® Accuration® Hi-Fat block, are formed by blending molasses with the dry ingredients. The resultant mix is poured into the container, and as the mix cools, it hardens. Poured blocks are softer than cooked tubs and have more variable intakes, around 1-3 pounds per head per day, based on the nutritional needs of the animals and forage quality. Purina® Accuration® Hi-Fat blocks with Intake Modifying Technology® allows the intake of the block to go up or down as forage quality improves or declines.
Both cooked tubs and poured blocks are options to deliver supplemental nutrients to cows grazing fair to poor quality forage to aid in maintaining body condition. There are also additional options to meet your exact needs, including high-fat and higher-percentage protein products.

See the benefits cattle tub and block supplements in your herd with self fed tubs and protein blocks from J&N Feed and Seed.

Source: Chris Forcherio, Ph.D. Purina Beef Research Manager