Stressed-Out Cows May Cut California Dairies’ Milk Output by 10%
- Dairy nutritionist sees 10% drop in output with heat, smoke
- Sonoma County struggles with power loss, burned pasture
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The California heat wave that strained the state’s power grid is also serving a blow to its dairy farmers, the nation’s biggest milk producers.
Some farms are also dealing with smoke blowing in with more than 1 million acres burned in fires across the state. Put together, it could mean an output drop of about 10% for some milk producers, according to Jed Asmus, a dairy nutritionist for January Innovation Inc. That would equal as many as 11 pounds (5 kilograms) of milk lost per cow a day, he said.