Kestrel DROP D2AG Specifications

What's included with Kestrel DROP D2AG

• Heat Stress Monitor
• One coin-cell battery
• Kestrel DROP Certificate of Conformity Measures THI

Kestrel Agriculture Meters Family Comparison:

Measurements	Kestrel DROP D2AG Livestock Heat Stress Monitor	Kestrel 5000AG Livestock Environmental Meter / with LiNK	Kestrel 5500AG Agriculture Weather Meter / with LiNK	Kestrel 5400AG Cattle Heat Stress Tracker
Temperature
Relative Humidity
Heat Stress Index
Temperature-Humidity Index (THI)
Dew Point Temperature
Wind Speed/Air Speed
Wind Chill
Wet Bulb Temp (Psychrometric)
Station Pressure (Absolute Pressure)
Barometric Pressure
Altitude
Density Altitude
Volume Air Flow
Direction
Crosswind
Headwind/Tailwind
Delta T
Globe Temperature
Naturally Aspirated Wet Bulb Temp
Wet Blub Globe Temperature (WBGT)
Heat Load Index(HLI)
Accumulated Heat Load Units (AHLU)
LiNK Wireless Data		optional	optional

What is Cattle Heat Stress?

Heat and humidity are tough on cattle. Rising temperatures and humidity result in increasing body temperatures, with very negative consequences. Even cattle living in fairly moderate climates may experience periods of heat stress. Heat stress causes a wide range of behavioral and medical issues in cattle – all of which cost the dairy or beef producer money.

• loss of apetite: Cattle lose their appetite when their body temperature exceeds critical thresholds, causing reduced dry matter intake, milk yield, growth and weight gain and resulting in the loss of feed rations to spoilage.
• reduced fertility: Heat stress impacts fertility and reproductive efficiency, causing losses in cow calf and dairy operations.
• prone to health issues: Medical problems can quickly arise in heat stress situations, including lameness from disruption of the digestive process, impaired immunity, and in the worst cases, rapid death.
• reduced carcass quality: The transportation of heat stressed cattle may have a negative effective on carcass quality.

Reducing cattle heat stress, and the associated losses in productivity and performance, is worth every cattle manager’s attention. Effective heat stress management requires an understanding of all factors contributing to a cow’s heat energy balance

Cattle generate heat metabolically through digestion and activity and also accumulate heat from their environment – ambient temperature, solar radiation and radiant heat from the ground (reflected solar radiation as well as heat generated by decomposing manure). They dissipate heat through non-evaporative cooling – radiation, conduction and convection back into their environment – as well as through evaporative cooling – sweating and panting. They can also reduce heat load through taking in cool water. In persistent hot, sunny, humid conditions, the cooling mechanisms are insufficient to dissipate all accumulated heat, and the cow’s body temperature begins to rise, triggering the cascade of negative heat stress impacts.

Heat stress management practices include providing shade, enhancing ventilation by adding fans or passive ventilation, enhancing evaporative cooling with sprinklers, providing cooled water, and modifying feed to increase dry matter intake and reduce waste. Each of these practices ALSO cost money, so the smart producer’s goal is to implement management practices every time they are needed, but ONLY when they are needed.

Fortunately, extensive academic and industry research into livestock heat stress management has generated excellent heat stress reduction guidance that is based on proven cattle-specific environmental measurements and models. Implementing a measurement-based heat stress management plan is the most effective way to minimize heat stress losses without wasting money.

1. Measure

By the time signs and symptoms of heat stress such as panting and drooling are visible in your cattle, production losses have already begun. Cattle suffer heat stress before people do, so simply waiting until you feel the heat intensify will also not ensure heat losses are prevented. Because cattle accumulate heat, if they do not have an opportunity to dissipate heat through overnight temperature cooling or environmental modifications, your herd's heat problems are increasing invisibly.

The first step in any cost-effective heat management plan is to accurately measure conditions wherever cattle are contained, at the pen level, and then determine your cattles’ risk of heat stress injury. To provide more accurate management guidance, researchers and government agencies have developed a variety of cattle-specific measurements and management models:

• THI - Temperature-Humidity Index THI is calculated based on ambient temperature and relative humidity and has been extensively applied in research and management to represent the overall impact of moderate to hot conditions on cattle, especially those who are housed. Although THI is similar to the Heat Index typically reported in the local weather report, it is calculated differently. Accordingly, to obtain THI without a dedicated instrument, it is necessary to take a local temperature and humidity reading and refer to a reference table or perform calculations.

• HLI – Heat Load Index The limitation of THI is that is does not take into account sun, air flow, or accumulation effects. HLI is a more complete environmental index which includes temperature, relative humidity, and the additional parameters of solar radiation and wind speed. These added parameters are most important for assessing heat stress risk in exposed, unshaded cattle. These parameters are derived from the Globe Temperature – an advanced meteorological measurement which uses a heat-absorbing metal globe. Because Globe Temperature is not available on traditional weather stations, it has previously been difficult to implement management practices based on HLI.

• AHLU – Accumulated Heat Load Units AHLU is the most complete cattle heat stress model – addressing the fact that cattle accumulate heat load during prolonged heat events where they have insufficient environmental night cooling. THI and HLI alone may not predict the level of cattle heat stress because they do not address this accumulation impact

In order to calculate AHLU, an HLI Threshold is determined for each group of cattle. This is the HLI value above which those cows will start to accumulate heat. The HLI Threshold will vary depending on many factors, including the breed, color, feed state, acclimatization and general health of that group of animals, as well as the environmental conditions of their housing

(The Bos Taurus breeds prevalent in Western beef and dairy operations are particularly subject to ill effects from heat as they are less efficient at cooling themselves than Bos Indicus breeds.)

Because AHLU is an accumulation measure, it must be measured at the animals' location over an entire heat event to provide accurate management guidance. Previous methods of measuring and calculating AHLU were extremely time-consuming and complex, requiring the use of very expensive equipment to obtain the base measurements, referencing complex tables to obtain the correct HLI Threshold, then entry of hourly measurements into spread sheets to calculate the accumulated heat load units. All in all, a practice that is not likely to be adopted by most cattle or dairy operations, no matter how effective.

2. Manage

Managing heat events and implementing the proper management plans can mean the difference between life and death of your cattle and send savings straight to your bottom line. With accurate microclimate environmental data and cattle-specific heat stress measurements from your Kestrel Cattle Heat Stress Tracker, you will know when and where it is necessary to implement your plan.

There are a variety of management options available depending on the site characteristics and options available to your location. These can include:

• Providing temporary or permanent shade structures, particularly over vulnerable animals
• Adding fans
• Improving air flow by removing obstructions
• Wetting the animals or the ground with sprinklers (effective in low humidity and wind – may be counter-productive in high humidity)
• Changing the nutrition mix to a low heat increment diet
• Changing feeding schedule
• Increasing availability of water to ensure all animals have ready access
• Removing manure buildup, which creates additional heat
• Avoiding moving the animals

3. Maximize

Implementing a measurement-based heat stress management plan helps you maximize herd PERFORMANCE and profits!

• Increase Milk Production
• Improve Weight Gain
• Reduce Feed Loss
• Reduce Veterinary Costs
• Avoid Livestock Loss

Kestrel DROP D2AG Videos

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