Best Practices for Commercial Operations

Heat stress is one of the most economically devastating challenges in modern agriculture. When a pig or chicken exceeds its thermoneutral zone, it immediately reduces feed intake to minimize the heat generated by digestion (the heat increment of feeding). This not only halts growth but damages the intestinal lining ("leaky gut"), allowing pathogens to enter the bloodstream. Managing heat stress requires a multi-pronged approach. First, ventilation systems must be calibrated to maximize air velocity (wind chill) over the animals. Second, evaporative cooling pads must be properly maintained. Nutritionally, we combat heat stress by reformulating summer diets to replace carbohydrate energy (which has a high heat increment) with fat (which has a low heat increment), while supplementing with betaine and electrolytes to maintain cellular hydration. By combining environmental management with nutritional adjustments, we keep your animals eating and growing through the hottest months of the year.