🐮When Cows Get Cranky: The Science of Dairy Distress
How now, hot cow? Not so great, it turns out. Scientists have determined that climate change is negatively impacting dairy cattle and milk products. For Science News, Meghie Rodrigues covers how climate change is coming for our cheese.
🤢Heat stress doesn’t taste good
Producing great milk takes more than just happy cows; a stable climate is a huge factor. Rising global temperatures and increasingly erratic weather patterns impact the quality and availability of pasture and feed, which alters milk composition. This in turn affects the fat and protein content crucial for cheese making. Furthermore, changes in rainfall and temperature contribute to heat stress in cows, which makes them more vulnerable to diseases. The ill effect is a double whammy: less milk overall, and milk that’s less suitable for producing the consistent high-quality consumers demand.
👩🏼🔬Biotech to the rescue
The dairy market, a robust segment of the global food industry, is ripe for sustainable innovation. Changing conditions create fertile ground for biotech solutions that can help dairy farmers adapt and thrive. Sustainable formulas for dairy cattle feedstock not only aim to keep cows healthy and productive under stress, but also to address the significant environmental footprint of livestock, particularly methane emissions.
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