Smart feeding: How specific amino acids support cattle in hot climates

Feed Tech Expo 2022

Heat-stressed ruminants could benefit from increases in the post-ruminal supply of amino acids such as arginine, cysteine, leucine, lysine, and methionine. Photo: Canva

As global temperatures rise, heat stress is becoming a major challenge for ruminant productivity and welfare—especially in high-producing dairy and beef cattle. While breeding for heat tolerance is one approach, new research suggests that nutrition, specifically targeted amino acid supplementation, can play a critical role in mitigating the physiological impacts of heat stress. The study, published in the journal Animal Frontiers, suggested that, besides breeding efforts for heat tolerance