Welcome to heat stress research at the University of Missouri. It doesn't take an animal scientist to know that heat can take a toll on animals and on your bottom line. During a heat wave in the summer of 1999, for instance, Nebraska cattle feeders lost more than 5,000 head to heat stress. Research by University of Missouri animal scientist Don Spiers can't change the weather. But it might help producers better understand heat stress and be able take precautions to reduce its effects on animals.
Understanding is the first step.
In 1999, Spiers and a team of his colleagues implanted heat-sensing devices into the stomachs of 12 steers. The devices transmitted constant data on the heat to nearby computers, which recorded the data for later interpretation. In the same pens, the scientists also recorded temperatures, using small black globes. The globes' dark color simulated the color of the Simmental-Angus steers. Small fans kept a steady flow of air on the devices to make temperature measurements more constant inside them.