Consequences of the heat stress in forage production and animal husbandry and ways to solve them (review)

In the agro-industrial complex, in the conditions of an increasing number of extremely high summer droughts, there is an objective need for structurally significant changes in the feed production feedstock conveyor by introducing non-traditional drought-resistant forage crops - Sudan grass, sorghum and sorghum-Sudan hybrids, as well as forage crops with a short growing season for an uninterrupted supply of livestock with feed. Under heat stress, it is important to use properly selected high-quality feed and special feed additives that reduce the production of metabolic heat in the body, as well as to adjust feeding regimes, monitor the level of the temperature-humidity index, the indicators of which will allow a timely assessment of the need for cooling of animals. The article presents overview information on the state of forage production and livestock farming in conditions of extremely high temperatures. The papers of Russian and foreign authors on various practical strategies for mitigating the effects of heat stress in the maintenance and feeding of cows, which may be useful to specialists in the field of dairy farming, were reviewed.