What we've learned so far

One of the most visible signs of heat stress in dairy cattle is heavy breathing or panting, which is a way for cows to cool themselves.

Together with AgResearch and Fonterra, we have developed a grazing heat load index tool to assess the potential heat stress risks in dairy cattle grazing pasture. So far most of the research has taken place in the Waikato.

What's next

We are widening the scope of our research to:

• Continue to refine and increase the accuracy of the grazing heat load index by collecting data from more locations and conditions, and compile data into one benchmark database
• Investigate the use of existing on-farm technology to identify indicators of heat stress before and after it occurs. Technology will allow us to gather data from larger herds without needing to manually observe cow respiration.

Grazing Heat Load Index

We are developing a grazing heat load index for New Zealand to predict which weather conditions will create heat stress events. We are also looking at how we can use this information to help farmers improve animal welfare.

We are collecting data from farms across New Zealand and have existing on-farm sensor technology. In the future we hope to use the grazing heatload index and the sensor technology to better understand how effective different mitigation measures are.

How this will help farmers

The results of this research will help us develop digital technologies that monitor and inform farmers when cows are likely to experience heat stress, so they can take preventative action.