Watching family and friends participate in the Fargo marathon, I eventually was reminded of how raising calves may be like a marathon as our weather changes to summer conditions.

Saturday seemed like an ideal day, especially for us spectators. We were anticipating being cold and wet with the pending weather report, but it was not that way at all. Rather, the cloudy skies tempered the effect of the sun, yet held their precipitation. We dodged the bullet. This is great; just a little humid. Or was it?

As the runners of the various races entered the final leg, what was becoming painfully obvious was that the conditions weren’t so great for them. With the humid air and temperate temperatures, the environment was stressful. In fact, the conditions were so stressful that, at one point, all the stations in the hospital area were full with disoriented, dehydrated, vomiting runners. Heat and humidity were not so great after all.

So what does this have to do with calves? Warm weather changes calf management. Born healthy and on their way, we sometimes forget that even though calves have little to do that would cause exhaustion, they may be as vulnerable as a marathon runner when out in the elements.

Heat stress can be a problem for calves because they dissipate heat by panting, which causes them to lose valuable hydration. We need to manage calves to reduce overheating and, at the same time, improve water management. Here are some summertime tips from the Dairy Calf and Heifer Association gold standards on housing environment for calves:

The future of the herd resides in the genetics and management put forth in your dairy heifers. Don’t just be a spectator. Actively plan for their well-being, and check on them often to avoid having to triage a bunch of heat-exhausted calves.