Illinois study: Extreme heat impacts dairy production, small farms most vulnerable

March 18, 2025
10:19 AM
two dairy cows walking toward camera with barn in background

Livestock agriculture is bearing the cost of extreme weather events. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign explores how heat stress affects U.S. dairy production, finding that high heat and humidity lead to a 1% decline in annual milk yield. Small farms are hit harder than large farms, which may be able to mitigate some of the effects through management strategies.

Read more in this ACES News Release...