Managing hot periods using decision support tools


BY JEAN PASCARD, PRODUCT MANAGER, CCPA


Today the livestock industry is aware of the impact of hot periods on the technical and economic performance of farms as well as on the comfort of animals. Breeders however can have a difficult time understanding this. CCPA has developed support tools in order to assess periods of risk to minimise the impact of heat stress.


H


ow do you assess the impact of heat stress at farm level and how can you compare these without any references? Without this knowledge the conse- quences are severe; fitting-out of buildings with


costly investments and production losses to name a few. In addition, heat stress has long-term repercussions and there- fore the results are penalised over time.


Anticipate the risks of heat stress When does the period of heat stress begin in my region? An- swering this question is essential for animal set-ups, on-farm feed production, adaptation of feeding programmes and in- ventory management of specific products. The CCPA Group has developed a tool that is based on meteorological data from the last five years, in particular temperature and humidity.


It is thus possible to predict the amplitude and duration of the hot period over a defined area in order to act accordingly. This query can be done on the basis of a city,


Example of measurements of THI and risk index from the Thermotool app; weather predication for the next 5 days and economic data for laying hens.


10 ▶ HEAT STRESS | MAY 2021


region or country depending on the desired precision. It is also possible to estimate in a simple way the quantity of Thermo supplements that the manufacturer will need during the associated feed manufacturing. Thermoplan is available to CCPA teams to support companies in their organisation and manage- ment of hot periods. Self-ex- planatory graphics allow you to make sound decisions and facili- tate meetings of breeders’ groups. Thermoplan also shows the monthly average THI


(Temperature Humidity Index)


PHOTOS: CCPA


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