Sweaty cows may not sound like the most exciting company, but in a warming world, researchers can’t get enough of them.
When cattle are too hot, they tend to stop eating, said Raluca Mateescu, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) professor in the department of animal science. This affects the cattle’s health and growth and threatens the longevity of the food supply coming from that herd.
Climate change is making it more difficult to raise cattle – growth and reproduction are affected by heat – so it’s critical to breed cattle better adapted to a hotter and longer summer. Cows eliminate about 85% of their body heat via sweat, she said. READ FULL ARTICLE