Location: Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management Research
Project Number: 5090-21500-003-006-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Nov 1, 2024
End Date: Oct 31, 2025
Objective:
Determine the extent of heat stress experienced by replacement dairy heifers raised on pasture and evaluate whether shade is an appropriate strategy for minimizing heat stress and improving animal performance and welfare.
Approach:
This experiment will be designed to address response variables related to pasture,animal, soil, and water, thus encompassing system-level responses of grazing systems representative of the Upper Midwest. The grazing experiment will be conducted in Marshfield, Wisconsin. The two treatments are: shade structures within the pastures; and no shade structures in the pastures. Pasture-related responses include forage mass, botanical composition, and nutritive value. Animal-related responses include weight gains, enteric methane emissions, water consumption, body temperature, and animal behavior. Soil-related responses include nutrient concentrations as affected by distance from shade and water troughs.
