People have long bred cows for their size, disposition, and the taste of their meat. And now researchers are working to breed varieties that can thrive in a warming world.
John Church of Thompson Rivers University in Canada says prolonged extreme heat stress can kill a cow.
Church: “But long before you reach death, it has tremendous impacts on … how much weight they gain, their ability to rebreed.”
Some breeds tolerate heat better than others. For example, Senepol cows from the island of Saint Croix have short, thin hair, and sweat more, which keeps them cooler.
But Senepol cows are not as prepared for chilly winters. So Church is working to breed cattle that can tolerate both heat and the cold snaps that occur in the northern U.S. and Canada.
For example, he’s crossed Senepol bulls with Scottish Highland cattle that grow a thick coat in winter.
Church: “And even though they had these incredible winter hair coats in the winter, they still lost their thick winter hair coats, and they had a very sparse summer hair coat, and they were much more heat-tolerant.”
So he says it’s a promising approach to breeding cattle that can better tolerate temperature extremes.
Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media
We help millions of people understand climate change and what to do about it. Help us reach even more people like you.