Dairy Up project 2d: Unlocking the potential of the cow - heat stress and intensive herds

Heat stress is a major concern on New South Wales dairy farms. Confined systems have the ability to manage and control factors (eg temperature) better than pasture based systems. This project will explore the differences in performance and response to environmental change between intensively housed or extensively managed herds: What is the variance in heat stress responses among dairy cattle within a herd and does facility design reduce these effects. What are the mechanisms (behaviour, physiological and metabolic) associated with this variance? What are the key measures that can be taken to predict responses to heat stress? Can these measures be used to optimise interventions/genetic selection?