Oklahoma's Latest Farm
And Ranch News
Thursday, June 9, 2022
Managing Heat Stress in Cattle with OSU's Paul Beck
Weekly, Oklahoma State University Extension Beef Cattle Nutrition Specialist Paul Beck offers his expertise on the beef cattle industry. This is a part of the weekly series known as the "Cow-Calf Corner" published electronically by Beck. Today, he talks about methods for managing heat stress in cattle

We have had some variations in weather this spring with hot weather and intermittent stretches of cooler temperatures when storm fronts come through. The cooler temperatures are welcome, but they keep livestock from acclimatizing to hot temperatures, increasing the heat stress when hotter temperatures return.

In hot summer conditions, heat transfer failures cause accumulation of body heat resulting in heat stress, reduced performance, animal discomfort, or death. When animals experience discomfort from heat stress, their behaviors change to reduce heat load (increased water consumption, decreased feed intake, seeking shade, standing in water, etc.).

Cattle require 1.8 to 9.6 square yards per head depending on the size of the animal. Effective shade structure design depends on the thermal properties of the shade material, the ground cover under the shade, height of the structure, the amount of shade provided per animal, the level of ventilation (lower ventilation can trap heat under the structure), and the orientation of the structure. Shade structures should be at least 12 feet high to reduce direct solar radiation and increase air movement in the shelter. Metal shades effectively block direct solar radiation, but it can accumulate heat and radiate it on the animal. Shade cloth allows more air movement and heat dissipation.

Providing shade, if designed correctly, is an effective strategy to reduce heat load by reducing heat accumulation from direct solar radiation and has animal welfare benefits that can improve performance.

We invite you to listen to us on great radio stations across the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network weekdays-

if you missed this morning's Farm News - or you are in an area where you can't hear it- click below for this morning's Farm news from Ron Hays and KC Sheperd on RON.
Sponsor Spotlight


Union Mutual was chartered in 1938 to write property and casualty insurance in the state of Oklahoma. Over the years, Union Mutual has maintained the attitude that started the company and continue to be that company that understands Oklahomans’ insurance needs when they contact any member of the UMIC team.
 
That’s 83 years of protecting rural Oklahomans, providing town and country, poultry house and legacy rural actual cash value policies.
 
With over 80 years of experience and 300 agents in all 77 Oklahoma Counties to serve you, it’s time to take a good hard look at Union Mutual Insurance Company.
 
For the agent nearest you, go to unionmutualic.com or give them a call at 405 286-7703.
 
Rural Oklahoma is full of some of the greatest success stories throughout the entire state and is a big reason why Oklahoma is on track to become a top 10 state. 

The Road to Rural Prosperity dives into these stories, bringing you stories covering rural life, agriculture, energy, healthcare, tourism, and politics affecting rural America. 

The Road to Rural Prosperity is here to tell stories about rural America, for rural America.
Our Latest RRP takes us to Altus, Oklahoma. Farm Director, KC Sheperd, talks with Carl Josefy, the Jackson County, Oklahoma FSA Executive Director about all things FSA-related. Josefy explains various FSA programs available to producers and contradicts the misconception that these programs are only available to a small number of operations.
 
“It is always a pleasure to be able to get in front of producers to let them know what is occurring with the Farm Service Agency,” Josefy said. “We have a lot of programs going on, and it does overlap.”

The newly announced Emergency Relief Program, Josefy said, is aimed at aiding commodity and special crop producers. This program, he added, includes 10 billion dollars in assistance to agricultural producers that were impacted by wildfire, drought, hurricane, winter storms, and other eligible disasters that occurred across the country during the calendar year of 2021.
  
Search for Road to Rural Prosperity and subscribe on your favorite Podcast platform.

To hear this podcast, you can click here or tap below:

For your convenience, we have our sponsors' websites linked here- just click on their name to jump to their website- check their sites out and let these folks know you appreciate the support of this daily email, as their sponsorship helps us keep this arriving in your inbox on a regular basis- at NO Charge!


We also appreciate our Market Links Sponsor - OKC West Livestock! 


We invite you to check out our website at the link below too that includes an archive of these daily emails, audio reports and top farm news story links from around the globe.
God Bless!
Reach Out To Us:
Tim West
President/General Manager
Rural Oklahoma Networks

405-317-6361

***************

Mike Henderson
Director of Sales

405-615-4922

KC Sheperd
Farm Director
Radio Oklahoma Ag Network

405-443-5717
Ron Hays
Senior Farm/Ranch Broadcaster
Radio Oklahoma Ag Network

405.473.6144