Cow-Calf Corner | July 1, 2024
A Look at Irish Agriculture
Derrell S. Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist
The 2024 Ferguson College of Agriculture Study Abroad group crossed from Scotland to Ireland by ferry to finish up the two-week experience. The island of Ireland is just slightly larger than Scotland; both are about the size of South Carolina. Ireland consists of Northern Ireland, part of the U.K. in the six northern counties and the Republic of Ireland making up the remaining 83 percent of the island. Over 80 percent of land in Ireland is used for pasture and hay production, with under 10 percent used for arable crop production. However, some of the cropped area is extremely productive. Major crops are wheat, barley and oats. The photos below show winter wheat production in northeastern Ireland and the size of the developing wheat heads relative to my hand. Average wheat yield is about 175 bushels/acre.
Photo courtesy of Danielle Jawad
Unlike the U.K., cattle outnumber sheep in Ireland with a total cattle inventory of 6.6 million head, compared to 4.0 million sheep. The are 1.5 million dairy cows in the country compared to 0.9 million beef cows. Dairy production is a huge industry with over 90 percent of dairy products exported. Most dairies are pasture-based on ryegrass forage (photo below). Dairy production is seasonal with many cows bred to calve in the spring so that lactation coincides with summer pasture production. Dairy production drops sharply in the winter months, with export production sharply curtailed and domestic fluid milk production maintained by a small set of specialized dairy farms.
Beef production is very important in Ireland, which has the third largest beef cow herd in Europe after France and Spain. About 90 percent of Irish beef is exported, primarily to the U.K. and Europe. The photo below shows a feedlot in the northeast part of the country. Cattle feeding is under roof due to the wet conditions. This particular feedlot feeds bulls part of the year for a specific market in Italy and feeds mostly heifers in the remainder of the year. The bulls are fed exclusively in the feedlot, arriving as 800-pound feeders and marketed about seven months later at roughly 1600 pounds. The ration consists primarily of grass silage and fodder beets with some grain. Steers and heifers fed for the domestic and other markets are often grazed longer and then finished in a short two to three month finishing period.
Feedlot cattle include a variety of British and Continental crossbred cattle, including the Belgian Blue cross bull in the photo below. Most of the cow-calf production occurs other regions of the country where crop production is not possible.
Ireland is blessed with a relative mild climate, moderated by the Atlantic Gulf Stream, which offsets the relatively northern latitude of the country. Forage production is possible nearly year-round but slows considerably in the winter months. Ireland has long been a major food producer for the U.K. and other European countries.
Working with Cattle in the Heat
Paul Beck, Oklahoma State University Extension Beef Nutrition Specialist
Over the last few weeks we have had some really scorching temperatures with highs in the triple digits and lows in the upper 70’s. Coupled with the high humidity it is hard to get any relief for ourselves and our livestock. Below is the Beef Cattle Temperature Humidity Chart (Figure 1), it helps determine the risk level of heat stress given the temperature and the relative humidity. Notice the higher the humidity the lower the temperature that is cause for concern.
Beef Cattle Temperature Humidity Chart
Figure 1. Cattle Temperature Humidity Index Chart from Eirich and Woolsoncroft, University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension.
In hot summer conditions, heat transfer failures cause accumulation of body heat resulting in heat stress, reduced performance, animal discomfort, or death. When animals experience discomfort from heat stress, their behaviors change to reduce heat load (increased water consumption, decreased feed intake, seeking shade, standing in water, etc.).
The USDA Meat Animal Research Center published a scoring system to define heat stress in cattle based on panting score. This is a good indicator of heat stress because panting increases as the heat load increases. This scoring system is from 1 to 6, with 1 being slightly stressed to 6 being near death.
Table 1. Panting Scores for Determining Heat Stress in Cattle. (adapted from: USDA Meat Animal Research Center)
| Score | Description |
|---|---|
| 0 | Normal respiration, no sign of heat stress |
| 1 | elevated breathing rate, restless, spend increased time standing |
| 2 | elevated breathing rate, slight drooling, most animals standing in pen and restless, animals may group together |
| 3 | elevated breathing rate, excessive drooling or foaming, most animals standing in pen and restless, animals may group together |
| 4 | elevated breathing rate, open mouth breathing, possible drooling, most animals standing in pen and restless, animals may group together |
| 5 | elevated breathing rate with pushing from flanks, open mouth breathing with tongue protruding, possible drooling, most animals standing in pen and restless |
| 6 | open mouth breathing with tongue protruding,breathing is labored, respiration rate may decrease with pushing from flanks while breathing, head down, not necessarily drooling, individual animals may be isolated from herd |
Water intake per unit of feed intake is twice as high during the summer than in the winter. Evaporation of moisture from the respiratory tract through panting is an important way for the animal to lose excess heat load. So, during heat stress water space availability becomes very important. During heat stress the linear water space increases from about 1 inch per head to 3 inches per head to allow for sufficient access to water. When temperatures are above 40° F, water intake should increase by 1 gallon for every 10° F increase in temperature.
Shade has been found to be beneficial to feedlot cattle, the greatest benefit of shade for finishing cattle is at the onset of the heat stress event. Cattle with shade have lower respiration rates and body temperatures when temperatures increase. Under heat stress, shaded finishing cattle in feedlots have increased average daily gain, hot carcass weights and dressing percentage as well as improved feed efficiency.
Cattle require 1.8 to 9.6 square yards per head depending on the size of the animal. Effective shade structure design depends on the thermal properties of the shade material, the ground cover under the shade, height of the structure, the amount of shade provided per animal, the level of ventilation (lower ventilation can trap heat under the structure), and the orientation of the structure. Shade structures should be at least 12 feet high to reduce direct solar radiation and increase air movement in the shelter. Metal shades effectively block direct solar radiation, but it can accumulate heat and radiate it on the animal. Shade cloth allows more air movement and heat dissipation. Providing shade, if designed correctly, is an effective strategy to reduce heat load by reducing heat accumulation from direct solar radiation and has animal welfare benefits that can improve performance.
Finally, cattle handling should occur in the early morning before temperatures get too high. If there is little to no night cooling, cattle handling operations should be delayed until better conditions exist. Work cattle in small groups so that no groups are in holding areas longer than 20 to 30 minutes. Cattle should be handled easily to reduce stress and elevating core body temperature through increased activity.
Remember, if you are not comfortable neither are your livestock, so take steps to increase comfort of livestock during heat stress events.
Sources
- Estimating Water Requirements for Mature Beef Cows, Courtney Spencer, David Lalman, Megan Rolf, Chris Richards AFS-3299.
- Heat Stress: Handling Cattle Through High Heat Humidity Indexes, Rob Eirich and Mariah Woolsoncroft.
- Recognizing Heat Stress USDA Meat Animal Research Center