Calves with shade had a 0.4-pound daily advantage, and cows with shade gained 1.25 pounds per day more. The portable shade structures in the experiment were moved through grazing paddocks with the cattle in June, July and August of 1998. The animals were equipped with data loggers and weighed every 28 days. I wish we'd had a study in 1999. The shade study should help cattlemen decide how to manage their livestock in intensive grazing situations.
Questions regarding shade usually come up at intensive grazing schools.
The ones that had access to shade grazed more at night. Florida dairymen have known for years that shade is crucial to milk production. Most Sunshine State dairies combine shade with water droplet or fogging cooling systems. The difference in beef cow performance won't be that high, but anytime cows are under heat stress, they quit eating, produce less milk, and their calves don't grow. Their immune systems also break down, leading to more diseases.