INDIANTOWN, Fla. — As every part of the community deals with the extreme heat, there's a growing concern for Florida's cattle.
WPTV spoke with a local rancher who said the dangerously high temperatures can be a silent killer, especially when the proper precautions aren't taken.
Rancher Greg Flewelling has been in the cattle industry for nearly all his life.
"I've been on and off working with cattle since I was 7 years old," he told WPTV Tuesday.
With 160 acres of land on an Indiantown property and roughly three cattle per acre, you can imagine that he's seen a lot. However, one thing that he's never experienced is summer months this brutally hot.
"It's definitely hotter," Flewilling said. "I mean, I don't know if it's global warming, or what's going on, but the reality is every year seems to be getting hotter."
He learned the hard way last year after losing several head of cattle to heat stress.
"Last year was really hard, to be honest. We didn't have a great mineral program last year, and I thought we were breeding at the wrong time," Flewelling said. "We changed a lot of things this year. That seems to be helping a lot."
That's not the only way the heat can affect the herd.
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) researchers said heat stress can negatively impact cow's appetites, which can then decrease weight gain and milk production.
"It always affects the bottom line when they have heat stress," Flewilling said. "They don't gain weight. You have a lot of problems with birthing because of the second and third trimester because of the heat."
The Angus Waygu mixes are more heat resistant, but they're still affected.
Lots of hammocks and ponds can be found scattered throughout Flewilling's property where WPTV found most of his cows Tuesday.
"We're really blessed to be here because we have a lot of hammocks, and the cattle can get out of the heat," Flewilling said. "They can also get in the water a lot of places don’t have that luxury."
