June 2025 was the planet’s third-warmest year on record, only 0.14°F behind 2024, and currently, 2025 is on pace to be at least one of the top four hottest years on record. There’s even a 65% chance it will tie for second place.
When you look at the contiguous U.S., it’s only the seventh warmest June on record, but hot is hot, and that means, in addition to taking care that we don’t overheat, we pay attention to what’s happening to our livestock.
For livestock producers that means problems
Heat stress can cause embryonic death and reduced gains. According to the Noble Foundation, “A silent problem that probably surfaced last summer was early embryonic death in cows being bred during late June, July, and August.” That matches up with research showing severe heat stress can increase early embryonic death. You’ll see it show up in the fall as open cows.
You’ll also find that cattle on forage and/or feed gain at a reduced rate. Cattle sweat very little, primarily cooling themselves through breathing and radiating heat from their bodies. They also reduce feed intake to reduce the heat generated during digestion. These problems increase when nighttime temperatures remain high as well.
What can we do?
Here’s some help for understanding risks, being able to recognize heat stress, and tips for what to do about it. It covers all classes of livestock On Pasture readers might be raising.
Take care of yourself too! Be sure to keep water on hand at all times. Here in Arizona, where summer heat can be deadly, the first thing I’m asked in many stores I walk into, or when I stop at a friend’s house, is “Would you like some water?” I think it’s a great habit for all of us to get into. I’ve also found that as I age, I’m much less able to deal with the heat. So I start work early, take more breaks in the shade, and head for home at the first sign of discomfort. I also add electrolytes to my water as an easy way to give my body what it needs. (This is my favorite.)
Long-Term Solutions
As CNN points out in this article, we know why this is happening:
Once synonymous with leisure and reprieve, summer has increasingly become a season marked by anxiety and disruption. Fossil fuel pollution — alongside other compounding factors — has transformed these months into a time of mounting peril, punctuated by relentless heat waves, rampant wildfires and catastrophic flooding.
Beyond heat, we’re also seeing the impacts in this summer’s unusually high humidity and extreme rain events and flooding due to humid air is being funneled north from the unusually warm Gulf and western Atlantic. According to climate scientist Kate Marvel, “This is almost a textbook example of climate change impacts. The science behind it is so basic you can see it in daily life. Warm water drives more evaporation — the bathroom gets much steamier after a hot bath than a cold one.”
Next our high temperatures add to the problem. “Warm air contains more water vapor — a cold beer gets wet on the outside on a hot day, because when air comes into contact with the cooler surface, it has to condense out its water vapor,” she told CNN. Warm ground sends moist air into the cooler atmosphere above, causing condensation and rain. It’s the reason we see summer rains in the afternoon. When the air holds as much moisture as it does right now, that also means heavier rain. Marvel continued, “Whether a downpour turns into a catastrophic flood depends on a lot of things: how porous the ground is, the topography of the area, the people and things in harm’s way. But there is absolutely no doubt that climate change, caused by human emissions of greenhouse gases, is making extreme rainfall more extreme.”
With all these warnings in place, it’s clear we need to do something. Although we may not be able to change some of the politics surrounding when or what countries like ours and others do, as graziers, we have tools to help. The simplest thing you can do is add compost. Not only will you get more forage production, you’ll also draw carbon from the atmosphere, creating healthier soils and acting as a first step to slowing climate change.
I’ve posted lots of information about this in the past to help you get started. Here are two that summarize what you need to know:
For More Forage, Improved Soil and a Better Climate Future Just Spread Compost
How to Spread Compost as a Climate Change Solution in Your Community
If, after checking out the articles, you have questions about this practice, leave them in the comments below.
Thanks for your work. Stay cool and dry out there!
Kathy
