How do you keep a herd of 280 cows in Neerim South cool during a heatwave?

The cows of Gippsland enjoy standing under a blazing hot sun about as much as humans, which is to say not at all, so when the mercury nudges 35C Neerim South dairy farmer Dave Johnson cranks up the sprinklers.

Hot cows aren’t hungry

Johnson told the Gippsland Monitor that cows, like humans, lose their appetite as it gets hotter. In the case of the bovines, they look to shelter in the shade rather than graze in a paddock.

• “Cows are sort of big fermentation tanks,” Johnson said. “They handle the cold a lot better than they handle the hot.”

If it gets around 35C Johnson - whose property is 180 hectares - will change the way he organises his day. He’ll keep his 280 cows closer to the dairy, where it’s cooler, and milk the herd later in the evening.

Cool respite

Johnson said sprinklers in the yard wet the cows before they’re brought into the shed for milking. During the milking the cows stand under a large mister "to keep them cool".

Aside from sprinklers, fans are used to try and keep the farm’s workers and the cows cool.

• “Generally, the cows can handle one hot day not too bad. Usually the issues really start when you get three or four really hot days in a row,” Johnson said.

Farmers across Victoria are having to cope with more frequent and severe heatwaves as temperatures around the country continue to rise.

What do farmers do during heatwaves?

“It's always a little more stressful for everybody when you get these extreme conditions,” Johnson said.

• “We do all our prep work in the days coming up to [the heatwave], as much as we can. We can't just quit. If it gets to 35C, we’ve got to push through.”

When the temperature is peaking, Johnson said the aim was to do as little as possible, although the cows still had to be milked.

Fuggy conditions not appreciated

The dairy farmer said humidity impacted cows more than temperature.

• “If it's 35C and really humid and thunderstorming, the cows are going to struggle more than 41C in the dry heat. They just can't cool down in the humidity,” Johnson said.

“We always make sure that they've got access to plenty of water and plenty of shade.”