In mid-July, the Midwest experienced one of the most brutal heat waves in recent history. As the heat index climbed into the triple digits, most people were looking for the nearest air-conditioned shelter to stay cool. Unfortunately, there just isn’t enough space to take the animals inside with us.
As a result, everyone in livestock production and meat processing stand to lose as the mercury rises. Although air-conditioning is not an option, there are other heat-mitigation strategies that can help to alleviate heat stress and associated meat-quality issues from the farm to the plant.