Breaking free from the chains of the past Where
truth moves faster than a Holstein calf No law
waiting on some printed page We're charting new
ground in the digital age From genomic codes
to robot facts We cut through the noise, no hold
them back not your daddy's dairy news tonight
we're sparking Welcome to the Bullvine Podcast,
the bold voice challenging conventional wisdom
in the global dairy industry. I'm your host,
bringing you cutting -edge insights that connect
the dots between dairy science, economics, and
innovation from around the world. At the Bullvine,
we don't shy away from controversial topics or
uncomfortable truths. We tackle the issues that
matter most to progressive dairy professionals
who demand more than surface -level analysis.
Whether you're managing a 50 -cow operation or
a 5 ,000 -head facility, our mission is to arm
you with evidence -based perspectives that can
transform your business. Today's episode dives
deep into research and insights that could reshape
how you think about your operation. So grab your
coffee, settle in, and prepare to challenge some
assumptions. This is the Bullvine Podcast, where
bold meets practical in the dairy industry. Welcome
back to the Deep Dive. We're here again, taking
the info you send our way, articles, research,
you name it, and really getting into it, unpacking
what matters. Exactly. Helping you get the key
takeaways without wading through pages and pages.
Saves you some time, hopefully. And we really
appreciate you trusting us with this stuff. We
do. Everyone listening, I'd imagine. Anyone in
dairy. Absolutely. So for this deep dive, we
are tackling something that's, well, it's more
than just comfort, isn't it? It's a serious threat
to farm viability. Heat stress, specifically
heat stress on dairy farms. We've got this really
insightful article right here on The Bullvine,
actually. It digs into some pretty new, pretty
expensive research. And honestly, it paints a
stark picture. A bit alarming, maybe. Yeah, it
definitely goes beyond just saying, yeah, heat
makes cows uncomfortable. This research puts
some genuinely staggering numbers behind the
problem. And maybe more importantly, it reveals
this growing divide within the industry, a gap
that's potentially devastating, something everyone
really needs to grasp. Producers, processors,
everyone. Totally agree. So for you listening,
maybe you're dealing with a tough summer right
now or, you know, planning for the ones coming
up. Our mission here is simple. We're going to
unpack the key findings from this bullvine article.
Get right into it. Yeah, we'll get into the science.
Why is heat such a big deal for dairy cows? Then
the economics, which are serious and unequal,
and how it's hitting farms of different sizes
so differently. It's not just about welfare,
important as that is. It's about the whole structure,
the future of dairy farming. And the real strength
of this research, the stuff cited in the article,
is the sheer scale of it. It uses this massive
data set. Huge. Right. It puts numbers to what
so many producers have seen anecdotally for years.
But it proves pretty clearly that the pain isn't
spread evenly. Not at all. Creates real winners
and losers in this warming climate we're in.
It really does. And it highlights some things
that might surprise you, like how early cows
can start feeling heat stress maybe way before
you even notice it yourself. Yeah. Or the massive
differences in heat tolerance between breeds
that alone can change everything for a farm's
bottom line. And just the scale of the financial
hit the industry's already taken. Well, what's
projected? It's becoming really clear, isn't
it? Heat stress isn't just some summer annoyance
anymore. It's a fundamental challenge right to
the core of dairy production. Okay, then. Let's
unpack this. So let's jump right in the numbers.
Because the figures highlighted in this Bullvine
article coming from that big University of Illinois
study, they really set the stage. They're staggering.
No kidding. They point to a cumulative loss,
get this, of $245 million. Just from heat stress.
And that's over only five years, 2012 to 2016.
A quarter of a billion dollars. Just poof. Gone
from the industry's pocketbook in just five years.
And you got to understand where this number comes
from, right? Yeah, the methodology is key. Totally.
The University of Illinois researchers, they
didn't just, you know, call up a few farms. They
analyzed over 56 million individual production
records. 56 million. Wow. Yeah. from 18 ,000
different dairy farms across nine states in the
Midwest. So this isn't just guesswork or like
anecdotal stuff. It's big data giving us a really
solid data -driven view of the hit from heat.
And the physical loss behind that money is...
Just as, well, mind -boggling. The article translates
that $245 million into lost milk, about 1 .4
billion pounds of milk over those five years.
1 .4 billion pounds. Yeah. And the article uses
this great analogy to help picture it. That's
enough milk to fill over 160 million gallon jugs.
Okay. That's a lot of jugs. Right. And if you
line them all up end to end, they'd circle the
earth one and a half times. No. It's just a powerful
way to visualize the sheer volume of milk, the
revenue that just... Didn't happen. Didn't make
it into the tank purely because of heat stress.
And the science behind why that happens, it's
pretty direct. Professor Marin Skidmore explains
it in the article. He points out a high -producing
Holstein. She's basically a milk factory, right?
Absolutely. And she generates a ton of metabolic
body heat doing that. Roughly the equivalent
of running five standard space heaters. Non -stop.
Five space heaters inside a cow. Exactly. Now,
unlike us, cows... They don't really sweat effectively.
Their main ways to cool down, like panting, just
become less efficient when the temperature and,
crucially, the humidity climb. That humidity
factor is key. It is. So this internal heat builds
up. And that triggers a whole cascade of negative
things mentioned in the article. Their breathing
rate shoots up. Heart rate, too. They get restless.
And maybe the biggest hit for production, their
appetite drops. And obviously, if a cow isn't
eating enough... She can't make milk efficiently.
Simple as that. Professor Skidmore points out,
right, that whole physiological response, less
feed intake, energy just trying to stay cool,
it directly leads to less milk. It's not just
about them feeling bad. It's a direct hit on
the farmer's wallet. Precisely. And the article
then takes these huge industry numbers and kind
of zooms in, brings it down to the individual
farm. And that's where we first see this uneven
impact. For small farms, and the study defined
that as under 100 cows, the data showed they
lost On average, 1 .6 % of their annual yield,
just from heat. 1 .6%. Now, that might not sound
like a disaster on the surface, but the article
makes it really clear what that means in practice,
especially for a small farm likely running on
tight margins already. Right, it's not just a
number. No, it's like operating your entire farm,
feeding, milking, all the work, but getting zero
income for almost six whole days out of the year.
Just because the cows got too hot, that's revenue
just vanished. Hitting their already thin bottom
line hard. And that financial pain, that loss.
Yeah. As this big study shows really clearly,
it is not being felt the same way across the
board. Which brings us right into, well, why
some farms feel the heat so much more than others.
Okay, so maybe you're starting to feel a bit
warm as the temperature creeps up, right? But
the research in this Bullvine article. It suggests
your cows are probably feeling the heat stress
way, way sooner than you are. Much sooner, yeah.
And it's often not just about the number on the
thermometer, humidity. That plays a massive role,
which is where this temperature humidity index,
the THI, comes in. It's the key metric everyone
uses for cattle. Yeah, the THI is so critical
because it's not just temperature. It really
captures the perceived temperature for the cow.
How much stress is actually on her cooling system?
It combines the air temp. And the relative humidity.
And the article says heat stress can start affecting
cows at temps as low as, what, 19 Celsius? Like
67 Fahrenheit? Around there. Especially if the
humidity is up. That's a temperature where, you
know, we might feel totally fine. Maybe even
cool. So why does humidity matter so much for
a cow? It's about how they cool off, right? Exactly.
Unlike us, we sweat a lot, right? Evaporation
cools us down. Cows. They don't really sweat
effectively. They produce a little moisture,
sure, but it's limited. Their main tools are
panting, breathing faster, getting rid of heat
that way. But if the air is already full of moisture,
high humidity, then the moisture they produce
or the warm, moist air they breathe out just
can't evaporate properly. Evaporation is how
cooling happens physically. So high humidity
basically shuts down their main cooling system.
traps the heat inside. Gotcha. Dr. Joseph McFadden
at Cornell explains that pretty well in the piece.
He does. He notes that cattle start feeling stress
way lower than we do because, one, they produce
so much internal heat just making milk, and two,
they have this limited ability to get rid of
it through sweating. So their internal temp starts
rising. Stress kicks in, often way before a farmer
even notices obvious signs, like heavy panting.
It's happening inside first. And here's where
it gets really, really interesting. Something
maybe not everyone thinks about enough. This
Boldvine article digs into the huge differences
in heat tolerance by breed. Ah, yes. Genetic.
Yeah, it's genetic. The research shows it makes
a massive difference. Different breeds just have
different THI thresholds for when heat stress
starts messing with their bodies and their milk
production. And that fundamental genetic difference.
That's exactly why, like the article says, you
could have two farms right next door. Same weather,
same temperature, same humidity, same THI. Right.
But see totally different impacts on milk production
in their herds. It could just be the breeds they
have. The research actually includes a really
useful table showing these differences. Let's
look at that table because it's pretty revealing.
The Holstein Friesian, right? The classic black
and white dominant breed everywhere. A workhorse.
Totally. They start feeling significant stress
at a THI of just 68. 68. That's pretty low. Yeah.
And the hit to production. At a THI of 80, they
can typically lose 20 to 30 % of their milk.
That's a fifth, almost a third of their potential
milk gone on a hot, humid day. Okay, now compare
that to, say, the Jersey. Much higher tolerance.
They don't typically feel stress until the THI
hits 75. 75 versus 68, that's a big jump. It's
a huge difference on the THI scale before that
stress response even starts. And even when it
does get hot, like THI 80, their production drop
is generally lower than Holstein's, more like
10 to 15%. The table also mentions others, like
the Kiwi Cross, often used in grazing setups.
They start feeling it around THI 69, lose maybe
15 -25 % at THI 80. And Brown Swiss are in there
too. Stress starts around THI 73, with a 12 -18
% drop at THI 80. So this data, coming from places
like Darien Zee and studies in the Journal of
Dairy Science, it makes it crystal clear. Breed
genetics are a massive factor in heat vulnerability.
Absolutely. The article spells out, your Holstein
herd is feeling the pressure at THI 68. That's
a level where your neighbor's Jersey herd might
still be cruising along relatively fine. That
difference alone explains a lot of farm -level
variation. So, OK, the natural question then
is, if jerseys or brown Swiss handle heat so
much better, should farmers facing really bad
regular heat just switch breeds? Is it that simple?
Well, according to Dr. Chad Detshow at Penn State,
who's quoted in the article, it's definitely
not a simple switch. Not at all. Bigger. He calls
breed adaptation, you know, thinking about changing
breeds, a long term strategy that involves complex
tradeoffs. It's a big decision, takes years.
Right. And the biggest tradeoff, the one everyone
thinks of first, is probably volume, right? Which
Dr. Detchell mentioned. Exactly. Breeds like
jerseys, brown Swiss, yeah. They've got that
better heat tolerance we just talked about. But
the article notes they usually produce less total
milk volume than a high -producing whole -stain
herd, even when conditions are good. So if you're
paid mainly on pounds of milk... Switching could
mean selling way less milk overall, even if the
cows are happier in the heat. But, and this is
a big, but the article adds some really important
nuance. Jerseys and Brown Swiss, they often have
higher components, higher fat, higher protein
percentages. Ah, so quality over quantity, potentially.
Potentially, and maybe even more important. The
research cited suggests they actually show better
feed efficiency, specifically under heat stress,
compared to Holsteins. Okay, that's interesting.
Yeah, so it's not just about sheer fluid volume.
It's about what that milk is worth component
-wise, especially if your co -op pays that way,
and how well the cow turns feed into product
when she's stressed. A Jersey might give less,
but the milk might be worth more per hundredweight,
and she might keep converting feed better when
it's hot. The article also talks about a kind
of middle ground. cross -breeding. Right, the
hybrid approach. Yeah. It mentions this big University
of Florida study found that if you strategically
cross Holsteins with Jersey or Brown -Swiss genetics,
the offspring can get some of that better heat
tolerance. From the Jersey or Brown -Swiss side.
Exactly. While still keeping around 90 % of the
Holsteins' high milk production capability. That
makes sense. You get that heterosis, right? Hybrid
vigor. The cross -breds are often just more robust,
handle stress better than either purebred parent.
And Dr. Leslie Brown Berringer adds another really
critical point in the article about crossbreeds.
Oh yeah, fertility. Yes. She says crossbreeds
often show better fertility, specifically during
hot weather, and that is huge. Because heat stress
often tanks reproduction, missed heats, low conception,
losing pregnancies early, way before you even
see a drop in the milk tank readings. Good point.
By the time the milk drops, the repro damage
might be done. So better fertility in crossbreeds
under heat. That means getting cows bred back
more reliably, which is critical for cash flow.
So the article really wraps it up well, deciding
on breeds or crossbreeding. It's complex. Depends
entirely on your farm, your goals, how you get
paid volume or components, and what challenges
you already face, especially with getting cows
bred in the summer. It's definitely a long -term
strategic thing. No easy answer fits everyone.
But understanding these breed differences. absolutely
essential for knowing your farm's baseline vulnerability
to heat. And that difference in vulnerability
combined with other factors. Well, it leads us
to maybe the most troubling finding in this whole
bullvine article. Yeah, this is where it gets
really stark. It is. This is where the research
shifts from just counting losses to talking about
the potential like structural changes to the
whole dairy landscape. And the article pulls
no punches. It uses some really strong language
talking about how this unequal heat stress impact
could lead to a climate driven extinction event
for small dairy farms. Extinction event. That's
wow. But unfortunately, the numbers from that
University of Illinois study, they seem to back
up that level of concern. They really do. The
research is clear. Heat stress is not hitting
all farms the same way across the Midwest. Those
small farms, the ones under 100 cows in the study.
Their production losses averaged 1 .6 % annually
from heat. Which, remember, was significantly
higher than the overall industry average loss
in the same study, which was 1%. Right. So let's
really break down what that gap means. Small
farms, collectively, they produce less than 20
% of the total milk in that huge data set, right?
Less than a fifth of the volume. But they carry
a much bigger piece of the financial damage from
heat. The article says they account for a full
27 % of that total $245 million loss. Okay, wait.
So they produce less than 20 % of the milk, but
absorb over 27 % of the heat losses. Exactly.
They lose more milk per cow than the bigger farms.
And when you add up those higher individual losses
across all the small farms in the study, it accounts
for over a quarter of the entire region's financial
hit from heat, even though they're smaller individually.
And the article explains why that happens. It
often boils down to infrastructure resources.
Yeah. Dr. Jennifer Van Oss from UW -Madison points
out that a lot of small dairies operate in older
facilities. Barns built decades ago, not designed
with modern cooling in mind, maybe no cooling
at all. Right. Built for a different climate,
essentially. Pretty much. And she calls it a
compounding problem, like a negative feedback
loop. How so? Well, their cows suffer more because
there's no cooling. Production drops further
because they're suffering. And crucially, these
farms often have the fewest financial resources
to actually buy the cooling systems or make the
upgrades that could break that cycle. It's a
vicious cycle then. Suffer more, produce less,
have less money to fix it, so you suffer more
next time. Exactly. The article quotes sources
pretty bluntly, saying, what we're seeing is
nothing short of a climate -driven extinction
event for these smaller operations. It argues
that while bigger farms, maybe with better margins,
more capital access, they might be able to swallow
a 1 % annual loss. It hurts, sure, but they can
maybe manage it. But the small guys? The small
guys, operating on what the article calls razor
-thin margins, they just can't sustain a 1 .6
% hit to their income year after year. The article
implies pretty strongly that without help or
big changes, many will just have to close the
doors, become another statistic. Which leads
right into the biggest reason for that gap in
impact that the article points to. Access to
capital. Money. Right. It's not really a secret
why bigger farms, often corporate structures,
seem less panicked about the heat's economic
hit. The article lays it out. Large operations
just have access to way more capital. I can borrow
more, invest more. Exactly. Which lets them spend
millions, literally millions on fancy cooling
tech and infrastructure that many small family
farms just can't even dream of affording, even
if they know they need it. You see it in the
examples the article gives for big farms, right?
State of the art tunnel. ventilation systems,
moving huge amounts of air, extensive sprinkler
networks, fans everywhere, over free stalls,
holding areas. They even mentioned trying strategic
calving schedules, shifting peak lactation away
from summer, though Professor Skidmore notes
that's tricky and has other risks. But the point
is, these are massive investments, millions of
dollars. and they do dramatically improve cow
comfort and cut production losses. Now contrast
that with your typical small family farm, often
working in barns that are decades old, maybe
passed down, trying to fight hotter temperatures
with whatever they can scrape together. A few
fans here, maybe opening up the sides? Yeah.
Basic stuff helps a bit, sure. Open barn sides,
a few portable fans, maybe raking up a garden
hose sprinkler. But putting in the kind of comprehensive
barn -wide cooling systems that really make a
difference in a heat wave, that takes serious
upfront cash. Money that, frankly, most small
farms just don't have lying around. And the article
makes a good point. Regardless of, you know,
the bigger debates about climate change, small
farmers are living the reality right now on their
farms. Every hot summer. Which leads to that
really pointed question the article throws out
there, aimed maybe at consumers, policymakers,
the whole industry. Is the cheap milk in your
refrigerator worth the cost of losing America's
small dairy farms? It highlights that these economic
pressures, the need for climate adaptation, they're
directly impacting the traditional structure
of dairy, potentially wiping out smaller players.
It's a heavy thought. But the good news, thankfully,
is the article doesn't just leave it there, all
doom and gloom. No, it shifts. It emphasizes
that not all effective cooling solutions need
a massive corporate budget. Right. Extension
folks, like those at Penn State quoted in the
article, they point out there are affordable
options, things specifically suited for smaller
operations on tighter budgets. Dr. Cassandra
Tucker at UC Davis is quoted talking about shade.
Just shade. Simple but effective. Yeah. She says
even just strategically placed shade can cut
the heat load on cows by up to 50%. 50. And that
alone can lower a cow's core temp by 1 to 2 degrees
Celsius. Simple shade plough, well -placed trees.
It makes a real difference, especially for cows
on pasture or waiting and holding areas. And
the article gives us a really useful breakdown
of options, right? Based on cost, effectiveness,
and even potential return per cow, citing research
from places like Florida and Cornell. Let's look
at the lower cost ones first, because those are
key for smaller farms. Strategic shade, like
cloth or simple structures, estimated at just
$1 to $3 per square foot for materials. Offers
that big drop in solar heat load. And the estimated
annual return per cow, $56 to $112. Oh, you've
got portable fans? Maybe $300 to $1 ,200 each,
depends on the fan. Put them in the right spots,
holding areas over feed bunks. They can knock
the THI down three or four points right there.
Estimated annual return, $84 to $168 per cow.
And simple, low -pressure sprinkler systems.
Maybe $1 ,000 to $5 ,000 total, depending on
the size needed. You combine those with fans,
get that evaporative cooling going right on the
cow's hide. Can drop body temp. by about 1 .5
degrees Celsius and the return $112 to $224 per
cow annually. Now, the article does mention the
pricier options, too, for comparison. High -pressure
misting systems, maybe $5 ,000 to $15 ,000 or
more. Very effective, higher estimated return,
$168, $336 per cow. But, you know, more complex,
more cost, more maintenance, too. Those nozzles
can clog. But the really critical takeaway here
is that even those lower -cost options, shade,
fans, basic sprinklers, they provide real, documented
returns on investment. Multiple universities
have shown it. Doing something, even if it's
not a capital -like system, makes a measurable
financial difference. difference. And here's
the rub. Even with those proven returns, those
solutions, even the cheaper ones, we circle back
to that tough economic reality for small farms.
Yeah, the upfront cost. Exactly. $100 or $200
per cow return sounds great long term. But finding
that initial, say, $5 ,000 for a basic sprinkler
system, that can still be a huge hurdle if cash
flow is tight. Absolutely. And the USDA ERS data
in the article, it paints that picture really
clearly. Small dairies under 100 cows, they run
on incredibly thin net margins. The data shows
average margins of just $60 to $175 per cow per
year. $60 to $175 profit per cow for the whole
year. Yeah. Now compare that to the big guys,
over 1 ,000 cows. Their margins, $275 to $425
per cow per year. Wow. That's hundreds of dollars
difference per cow. Huge difference in financial
cushion, right? Which leads to what the article
called that cruel paradox. Right. The farm is
most vulnerable to heat stress, the ones feeling
the pain the worst when production drops. They're
also the ones with the least money, the lowest
margins, the tightest cash flow. They have the
hardest time affording the very solutions that
could help them survive and make more money.
Dr. Mark Stevenson from Wisconsin illustrates
it perfectly in the article, that $5 ,000 basic
cooling system we talked about. For a small 50
cow, Gary, making maybe $125 profit per cow,
that $5 ,000 investment is almost their entire
profit for the year. 125 by 50 cows equals $6
,250 annual profit. Wow. Basically wipes out
their whole year's game. Right. But that same
$5 ,000 system on a big 5 ,000 cow operation.
based on their higher margins it's less than
a week's profit for them okay yeah that puts
it in stark release so for that small farmer
deciding to spend five thousand dollars on cooling
it's not just you know another line item in the
budget dr stevenson calls it an existential decision
it might mean taking on debt spending almost
all their scarce annual income just to get started
it's a risk many just can't afford to take and
that is precisely why access to financial help
to assistance programs is so absolutely critical
to bridge that capital gap for small farms The
Argo highlights a couple of key ways. Like EQIP.
Exactly. The USDA's Environmental Quality Incentives
Program. EQIP. That's a big one. It provides
cost sharing for on -farm improvements, including
cooling systems, if they're part of approved
conservation practices. And Paul Wolf from the
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is
quoted specifically saying EQIP can cover up
to 75 percent of the costs, 75 percent, for qualified
cooling upgrades that also offer environmental
benefits like saving energy or improving air
quality. That 75 percent cost share changes the
whole equation, doesn't it? Turns that maybe
impossible $5 ,000 investment into a much more
doable $1 ,250 out of pocket for the farmer.
Huge difference. The article also mentions some
dairy co -ops are stepping up too. Yeah, recognizing
the gap. Some have started group purchasing programs,
letting their smaller members buy cooling gear
fans, sprinklers at lower costs because the co
-op buys in bulk. Makes it more accessible. And
even with that tough upfront cost, the article
keeps coming back to that powerful ROI, the return
on investment. Because the research backs it
up. Yeah. Quoting Dr. Albert DeVries at Florida
again, the return on investment for even basic
cooling should not be underestimated. His research
shows, pretty consistently, for every dollar
a small farm spends on effective heat relief,
they can expect $2 .50 to $5 back. $2 .50 to
$5 back for every dollar spent. That's a great
investment. It is. And crucially... The returns
aren't just from keeping milk production up during
hot spells. It's also from better cow health,
fewer heat -related sicknesses, better reproduction,
getting cows bred back faster, keeping body condition
on them. It pays off in multiple ways and potentially
pretty quickly if they can get over that initial
capital hurdle with things like EQIP or co -op
help. The article gives us a fantastic real -world
example of all this coming together, a boots
-on -the -ground story. Yeah, the story of John
Warning. Farmer in Iowa, 65, cow dairy. His story
is just incredibly powerful and probably very
relatable for a lot of folks listening. Back
in 2022, really brutal summer heat. He was losing
almost 20 % of his milk production. 20%. He describes
it vividly, quoted in the article, I was watching
my livelihood evaporate in real time. Milk prices
were tight, barely covering feed. He knew, straight
up, another summer like that he'd be done. Foreclosure.
Another farm auction statistic, as he put it.
So facing that, what'd he do? Did he just throw
in the towel? No way. The article details his
plan. He got proactive, didn't give up. First
crucial step. Reached out, worked closely with
his local extension agent. Smart move. Use those
resources. Definitely. And based on their advice,
he put together this staged approach to cooling,
designed specifically for his tight budget, focused
on the biggest bang for the buck first. So not
a whole barn overhaul right away. Nope. targeted
affordable steps. The article lists them. Portable
fans strategically placed in holding areas, $1
,800. Added shade cloth extensions over key pasture
spots and feed bunks. $2 ,400. And put in a simple
low -pressure sprinkler system just for the barnyard
holding area combined with the fans, $3 ,200.
Okay, so what's the total for those first steps?
Comes out to $7 ,400, which, you know, still
isn't pocket change for a 65 -cow dairy. Right.
And here's where the assistance part is key,
showing the power of these programs. John got
about $4 ,800 in cost -sharing funds through
EQIP. Ah, so EQIP covered more than half. Yeah.
As he says in the article, the EQIP help made
the investment possible. Without that grant,
that $7 ,400 might have just been too much to
swing on his margins. Okay, so he gets the systems
in. What happened? What were the results? Dramatic,
transformative. The very first summer after putting
that stuff in, his summer production losses plummeted
from that catastrophic 20 % down to just 7%.
Wow. From 20 down to 7. That's huge. Huge. The
article estimates that difference translated
to roughly $22 ,000 in extra milk revenue for
him that summer compared to the year before.
$22 ,000 on a $7 ,400 investment minus the EQIP
share. Right. He's quoted making this really
powerful statement about the ROI. He says the
systems he installed have paid for themselves
twice in a single season, just from the recovered
milk, not even counting maybe Better Health or
Repro down the line. Incredible. But maybe the
most telling quote from him in the whole piece,
the one that sums up the stakes. Without these
changes aided by EQIP, I'd have been another
farm auction statistic by now. Chills. That story.
Right. It's not just an anecdote, right? It perfectly
illustrates the research findings on ROI. And
it shows the absolutely critical difference that
accessible funding like EQIP can make. It literally
turned a farm -facing collapse into one that's
surviving, more resilient, maybe even more profitable,
despite the heat challenges. But it's not just
about individual farms and these inspiring success
stories, important as they are. Right. The article
looks bigger picture, too. Yeah. The Bullvine
article makes it clear. If the current climate
trends keep going the way they are, that summer
production slump across the whole industry, it's
only going to get worse. This isn't a problem
you solve once and forget. It's growing, accelerating.
And the research kind of explains why that acceleration
is likely. Right now, most of the total milk
loss happens on what they call low and moderate
heat stress days. You know, days where the THI
is up, but not necessarily off the charts extreme.
But there are lots of those days. However, the
article points out there's really extreme heat
days, super high THI. They cause more than double
the milk loss per cow compared to the moderate
days. More than double the loss per cow on extreme
days. Right. So as climate change is expected
to make those extreme events more frequent, more
intense, those per cow losses are going to shoot
up dramatically. leading to much bigger overall
losses for the industry. The article sets some
regional data, too, from NCBI research published
in 2022, shows the impact is already pretty big,
widespread across the U .S. northern and central
regions. Saw about a 7 .12 % total drop in summer
milk production. Southern regions, understandably
a bit higher, around 7 .94 % drop. But check
out August specifically. The article really highlights
August dairy farms down south losing over 10
percent of their potential milk production in
August alone because of heat stress. Ten percent
in one month. Yeah. That's a massive direct hit
to the bottom line in a key month. And like the
article keeps saying, small farms on those razor
thin margins, they just can't keep absorbing
that kind of hit year after year. It's just not
sustainable financially. Dr. Jeffrey Dahl, another
leading heat stress researcher from Florida,
he's quoted warning that heat stress, it's basically
become a year -round management concern now.
Not just summer anymore. Not just July and August.
He says even for farms up north, the way these
critical heat events are becoming more frequent,
more intense, and maybe happening outside the
traditional summer window. Producers need to
be ready for heat stress potentially from late
spring clear through early fall now. this bigger
system -wide challenge. It brings us to that
maybe uncomfortable question the article raises
about the dairy industry's structure itself.
Yeah, the processor part. Right. While dairy
processors are reportedly making pretty good
profits, maybe especially when supply gets tight,
which heat waves hitting small producers can
cause, Bjarzel asks, have they adjusted their
pricing models at all? To account for the fact
that small farmers are facing these huge, disproportionate,
and growing costs. Economist for the American
Farm Bureau, he's quoted saying it pretty plainly
in the article. The pricing structure of the
dairy industry does not currently account for
the uneven burden of climate adaptation. Doesn't
account for it. Wow, that's a strong statement.
It is, and the implication is clear, isn't it?
It suggests small producers are footing the bill
for climate adaptation. Buying coolers, losing
milk costs that from this viewpoint maybe should
be spread more fairly through the whole supply
chain, processors, maybe even consumers. So this
failure of the current market pricing to really
value, I guess, climate resilience or the diverse
network that small farms provide, it leads to
that final big, maybe most urgent question the
article poses for the future. Which is? Does
the market really value keeping this diverse
structure? Lots of different sized farms. Or
is it, maybe unintentionally, through pricing
that hurts small guys and makes adaptation too
expensive for them? Is it silently accepting,
maybe even speeding up, the trend towards total
corporate consolidation? Fewer, bigger farms.
It's a critical question. It really gets to the
heart of what dairy farming will look like in
the U .S. down the road. But while those huge
market and policy questions are being debated.
Which could take a while. Yeah. Thankfully, the
article pivots back. Back to concrete, actionable
things individual farmers can do now on their
own farms, which is where the immediate focus
has to be for a lot of people. And before it
lists those actions, it gives that handy little
assessment tool, right? So you, listening, can
get a quick feel for your own farm's risk level.
Yeah. Based on the factors the research showed
matter most. Yeah, it's a simple five -factor
check. You score your farm on each one. Low risk
is one point, medium is two points, high is three
points. Add them up. Higher score means higher
vulnerability, basically. Okay, let's run through
the five factors quickly. Factor one, primary
breed. Right. Jersey or brown Swiss dominant,
that's low risk, one point. Mixed breed herd,
medium risk, two points, mostly Holsteins. High
risk, three points because of that lower heat
tolerance. Makes sense. Factor two, cooling infrastructure.
Got comprehensive systems like tunnel ventilation,
extensive misting. Low risk, one point. Just
basic fans, some shade. Medium risk, two points.
Limited or pretty much no cooling. High risk,
three points. Factor three, regional location.
Where are you farming? Northern states. Generally
lower risk, one point. Central states. Medium
risk, two points. Southern states. High risk,
three points. Just based on baseline climate.
Factor four. And the reason for that, again,
is those eye producers just generate way more
internal body heat making all that milk. Exactly,
more heat to get rid of. Okay, and factor five,
primary housing type, open pasture with plenty
of shade. Low risk, one point. Cows have space
airflow. Freestall barn with some ventilation.
Medium risk, two points. Confinement housing.
Limited airflow. High risk, three points. Heat
can really build up there. So you add up your
points across those five. The article gives a
simple guide. Total score of five to seven. Lower
vulnerability. Probably focus on targeted fixes.
Score eight to 11. Moderate vulnerability. Need
a more comprehensive approach. Score 12 to 15.
High vulnerability. Need urgent action. Be aggressive.
Your farm's at significant risk. And the article's
clear. The higher your score, the more urgently
it suggests you start implementing the solutions
it lays out to protect your cows and protect
your business. And importantly, it doesn't just
diagnose the problem and give you a score. It
gives concrete steps, actionable things you can
do today, right now, even before the next heat
wave hits, proven strategies. Let's walk through
those five critical actions the article recommends
every dairy farmer think about. Number one. conduct
a comprehensive heat vulnerability assessment.
Right. Don't just stop with that quick five -factor
score. That's just a starting point. The article
specifically flags the USDA Climate Hub's free
heat stress audit tool. It's online, www .climatehubs
.usda .gov. And that free tool, the article explains,
it helps you do a deeper dive, looks at your
specific farm layout, your buildings, your herd
details, local climate data. The goal is to pinpoint
your exact weak spots and then help you prioritize
what to fix first based on your budget where
you'll get the most impact. Good resource. Okay,
action number two. Implement low -cost shade
solutions immediately. Immediately. Don't underestimate
shade. The article hammers this home. Even temporary
shade cloth strung up in the right places can
cut heat load by 30 to 50 percent. Wow. Yeah,
and folks like extension specialists at University
of Kentucky are quoted saying, prioritize shade
over holding areas and feed bunks first. Places
cows bunch up spend a lot of time, especially
when it's hot. And the article advises, call
your state's cooperative extension office. They
offer free advice on where to put shade on your
specific farm for the best effect. Materials,
angles, location, they can help tailor it. Smart.
Okay, action number three. This one's crucial
for getting help paying for bigger things. Apply
for EQIP funding this week. This week, urgency
matters. Because getting government funding like
EQIP approved, it takes time. Months, often.
You need to start the process before you desperately
need the system. Don't wait for the crisis. Exactly.
And remember, EQIP can cover up to 75 % of the
cost for eligible cooling systems if they meet
the conservation standards. So how do you start?
The article says. Visit your local NRCS service
center. That's the Natural Resources Conservation
Service. They run EQIP or just call the main
USDA conservation line. 888 -526 -3227. Ask for
help with the application. Don't let the paperwork
stop you. That funding could be the key. Good
advice. Action number four, join forces with
neighboring producers. Yeah, think about forming
or joining local equipment sharing cooperatives.
It's a way to tackle that capital barrier together.
Pool resources. And there's research backing
this up too. Yep. Dr. Katie Proudfoot at Ohio
State, her research cited in the article found
small farms that shared portable cooling gear.
Big fans, temporary misters, they cut their individual
upfront costs for access to that equipment by
up to 60%. 60%. So you get the benefit during
heat waves without having to buy and maintain
the whole thing yourself. Makes sense. Totally.
Okay, and finally, action number five. Adjust
your production strategy. This has a couple of
parts. Long term, maybe it's considering breed
changes or cross breeding like we discussed.
But short term, it can be simple, no cost schedule
changes. Right. Dr. Larry Tranel, dairy specialist
at Iowa State Extension, he's quoted saying,
simple tweaks, milking times, feeding times.
When you handle a cow's can cut production losses
by 10 to 15 percent during heat events with zero
equipment costs. Zero cost, 10, 15 percent savings.
That's huge. Yeah. Like the article mentions,
just shifting high energy stuff like feeding
or milking to cooler times, evening or early
morning instead of the hottest part of the afternoon
makes a difference. Common sense. but needs conscious
effort. So the overall message from this Bullvine
article feels pretty clear, right? Yes, the big
picture climate and market challenges are real
and daunting, but you don't have to just sit
and wait for some industry -wide fix. You can
take action now on your own farm. Exactly. Taking
these steps, especially focusing on those affordable
high ROI options and tapping into funding like
EQIP can make a critical difference right now,
helping you weather the storm this summer and
the ones to come. And the article gives one last
nudge. For getting more help, call your state
dairy extension specialist. They know your local
conditions. They're free. Or check the National
Dairy Farm Program website, nationaldairyfarm
.com. More resources there, too. Don't go it
alone. Absolutely. Your farm's survival, your
future profitability, especially if you're running
a smaller operation, it could really depend on
taking action before the next heat wave hits
hard. So wrapping up this deep dive into the
bullvine article on heat stress. Quite a journey,
huh? It really was. We started with just the
sheer scale of the problem. Those massive losses,
hundreds of millions of dollars, billions of
pounds of milk, all backed by that huge University
of Illinois study. Then we got into the science,
the why. Why dairy cows struggle so much. That
critical temperature humidity index, their trouble
sweating, and those really significant differences
in heat tolerance between breeds. Holsteins versus
Jerseys, big difference. Then we hit that tough
part, the stark research showing how small farms
are getting hit hardest. That capital divide
stopping them from getting cooling, leading to
that really strong language about a potential
climate -driven extinction event. But then, the
pivot to solutions. Affordable cooling options,
shade, fans, sprinklers, all with proven high
ROI and the crucial pathways to funding like
EQIP covering up to 75 % and co -op efforts making
things accessible. We shared that powerful story
to John Warning in Iowa. showed how a smart,
budget -conscious plan combined with EQIP, it
didn't just save his farm, it made it more resilient.
Real -world proof it can be done. And finally,
we looked at the bigger trends. Worsening impacts
from extreme heat, the uneven burden across regions,
and those tough questions the article raises
about market pricing. Is the system fair? Does
it account for these adaptation costs? Or is
it pushing towards consolidation? The key takeaways
from this bullvine piece feel really essential.
Small farms are losing disproportionately. 1
.6%, 1%, carrying 27 % of damages with 20 % output.
Breed matters hugely. Holstein THI 68 versus
Jersey 75. Cooling, even basic stuff, pays back
big time. $2 .55 per $1 spent. EQIP is vital.
Covering up to 75 % makes it feasible. And the
current market price doesn't reflect this uneven
burden, which raises huge questions about the
industry's future shape. That phrase, climate
extinction event, for small farms. It really
frames the stakes, doesn't it? Especially with
projections saying heat stress impacts could
jump 30 % or more by 2050. Which leads us to
that final thought to leave you with. Given everything
this research highlights market failures, the
capital gap, the unequal costs, what changes
need to happen beyond the farm gate? In policy,
in the supply chain, maybe even in how we all
think about the true cost of food. What's needed
to keep diverse dairy farming viable in a warming
world? Is the system we have now sustainable
for everyone? It's a huge question. It goes way
beyond just managing cows better. It requires
some real industry soul -searching, maybe policy
action. But as this Bullvine article shows really
well, understanding the facts, the science, the
economics, it's always the first essential step
towards making or advocating for those needed
changes. Couldn't agree more. Well, a huge thank
you for joining us on this deep dive. We really
hope unpacking this bullvine article on heat
stress has given you some valuable insights,
maybe a tool to check your own risk, and definitely
some concrete ideas you can act on. Yeah. And
please do check out those resources mentioned
in the article. Your extension agent, the USDA
tools, the farm program. Yeah. They're there
to help. Absolutely. Use them. Okay. Until our
next deep dive. That's a wrap on today's episode
of the Bullvine Podcast. If this analysis challenged
your thinking or sparked new ideas for your operation,
we've done our job. Remember, the dairy industry's
future belongs to those willing to question conventional
wisdom and embrace evidence -based innovation.
Don't just adapt to change, lead it. For more
cutting -edge dairy insights, visit us at www
.thebullvine .com. This has been the Bullvine
Podcast, your source for bold, evidence -backed,
dairy industry insights until next time keep
questioning keep innovating and keep leading
the future of dairy