Meridian, MS - The extreme heat and dryness are something that Farmer Jeff Davis of Topton Farms in Meridian feels is important to pay attention to when dealing with cattle. “Well, the cattle, they don’t like the heat, they’re going to spend more time in the shade, more time in the pond, which is going to wash off their fly insecticide that they have on them, they’re just going to spend less time grazing. That’s going to be reflected in reduced gaining weights, your mother cows are going to be losing body condition and it’s going to require probably selling off their calves a little earlier than people would like.”
The heat can also affect the way that livestock are fed. “Hay fields in particular will start backing up, actually shriveling up, going backwards and losing almost all its nutritional value and all that stuff.”
Davis believes that the cattle need a way to escape the heat, just like everyone else. “Mostly just make sure they have plenty of cool water to drink, if they have a pond they can walk out in and get half their body or so submerged under, it will help them a lot.”
Farmer Jeff Davis says it’s important to look after yourself, as well as livestock during the dangerous heat.
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