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Florida Summer: Not all Fun in the Sun
June, 2022
Sheri Trent,
UF/IFAS Extension Seminole Tribe
Lounging in a beach chair, feeling the warm sun
burning your skin, smelling the salty breeze, tip toeing across the hot sand
to move toward the crashing waves to play in the ocean: this is what people
think of Florida summer.
Tourists from around the world come here to enjoy the warm weather, great
beaches and scattered theme parks.
But the hot summer months bring more to Florida agriculture than fun
in the sun.
The Florida summer can be brutal on livestock and horses across the state.
Cows may feel the effects of heat stress in temperatures above 75
degrees Fahrenheit. We hit above
75 degrees in March or earlier and average 90-95 degrees in summer.
The humidity makes it even worse.
When cattle are over heated, they eat less, require more water intake
and don’t have the same rate of gain.
In the equestrian world, there is a formula.
Add the temperature and percentage of
relative humidity. If the number
is between 130 and 150, the horse will sweat in a workout, but with adequate
water intake, he will recover easily.
However, if the sum exceeds 180, the horse should not be exercised
because the horse’s heat dissipation system will not be able to prevent heat
stress. To prevent heat stress
in all horse and livestock, monitor closely, ensure ample water supplies and
shade, and avoid excess exercise during hot hours of the day.
Another difficult
aspect for Florida summer is the rain: specifically, daily thunderstorms
throughout the summer. Annual
precipitation averages 55 inches, with the majority occurring in summer.
Daily rain makes it hard on skin, hooves and health of our livestock
and horses. Constant wet ground
makes hooves susceptible to fungal problems.
Rain rot and other skin irritations become prevalent during the rainy
season. It is imperative to provide dry land for horses and livestock to
remain when the ground is saturated.
If rain rot or other skin problems occur, they must be tended to
quickly to ensure recovery. The
daily rainstorms also complicate daily ranch functions.
Many ranches arrange their cow work for early mornings to avoid the
heat and afternoon storms.
One very annoying problem in the summer is bugs.
We have mosquitos, horse flies, stable flies, gnats and deer flies
throughout Florida. This is a major
problem with all livestock animals in the south.
Different kinds of flies and insects aggravate and cause skin
irritations in horses, cows and other livestock and also can transfer
diseases. West Nile virus,
eastern equine encephalitis and St Louis encephalitis are a few of the
diseases transferred by mosquitos in Florida.
These can be very serious, therefore prevention is key.
There are fly systems for barns, cattle back rubs, sprays and even
oral medications available to assist with fly and mosquito control.
Florida is an amazing state full of remarkable people, great communities and
wonderful livestock and animals.
21 million people, 886,000 head of cattle and 385,000 horses enjoy the land,
weather and fabulous amenities every day.
However, there is a downside: intense heat, constant rain and
abundant insects. In the
livestock industry, we must attack these issues head on.
With adequate prevention, sound monitoring and careful attention to
the animals, we can keep Florida one of the most prominent horse and
livestock producers in the country.