Dairy farmers could prevent thousands of pounds worth of milk yield losses this summer by improving ventilation now, an on-farm study has found.
The project analysed cow behaviour and productivity on two commercial dairy farms in Devon and Monmouthshire during the September 2023 heatwave.
The results showed that, in the housing environment with minimal ventilation, high yielding cows in peak lactation were at most risk of heat stress.
Milk production in these cows was impacted for up to 20 days following the heat stress event, with an average of 50 litres loss per cow across the period.
However, improving air flow with a mechanical ventilation system was proven to increase the cows’ ability to cope with heat stress.
Andrew Gardner, technical director at Galebreaker, which took part in the study and manufacturers such systems, said cows housed in a cubicle shed with a Galebreaker VentTube Cool system were more resilient to heat stress.
"These cows were then found to recover within one or two days following the heat stress event, minimising any losses," he said.
“Cows under the Galebreaker VentTube also spent a greater amount of time lying, benefitting from the ‘chill effect’ of the ventilation drawing in fresh air from outside.
"This is likely to result in reduced incidences of lameness seen in the months following the heat stress period.”
The study's results, which was undertaken as part of the Animal Centred Controlled Environment for Dairy (ACCED) project, supported by Innovate UK, indicated how installing a ventilation system can deliver a worthwhile return on investment for farmers.
This, in turns, could help to safeguard cow health, welfare and productivity in the event of hot weather, the study found.
It also showed how health monitoring technology that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to flag when animals are exhibiting early signs of heat stress can work well in connection with automatic ventilation systems.
Mr Gardner explained: “The insights from our findings have proven how AI-powered technologies such as Smartbell’s ear tags could be used as a control for activating environmental cooling systems precisely when and where they are required.
“This would further improve the cost effectiveness and viability of a mechanical ventilation systems, which ensure that energy usage is more than offset by the beneficial impacts of improving cow comfort and resilience to heat stress.
"This would help address the recognised issue with the running costs of recirculation fans that are commonly used.”
