Most beef producers know intuitively that when the weather gets colder their cows need more energy to maintain their condition and productivity. The questions are when do cows start experiencing cold stress and then how much more energy do they need?
When we’re considering cold stress, we need to factor in both the actual temperature and the wind speed to determine the effective temperature. Wind speed can dramatically lower the effective temperature the cattle experience. Any kind of available protection, whether natural or man-made, can be very valuable in reducing the amount of wind chill.