Three thousand cows in the West Valley are wearing fitness trackers to get through this heat.
Saddle Mountain Dairy near Buckeye milks roughly 3,000 cows and produces about 230,000 pounds of milk a day, which lands around 27,000 gallons. Farm representative Josh Gladden says every cow wears a sensor necklace that works like a fitness tracker on a person.
Every morning the crew gets a report showing which cows might be a little off and need supportive care. The cooling setup is fully automated too. Fans, misters, shade and constant water, with the system constantly measuring the environment and adjusting itself.
Even with all of it, they says the herd gets stressed in summer and production dips. The timing tracks. Phoenix hit an Extreme Heat Warning with highs near 110 today and the forecast pushing 114 Thursday and 115 to 116 by the weekend.
Dairy is one of the biggest agriculture sectors in the state, and Gladden points out the processing happens here too, so it moves from Arizona...
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