When Cougar football fans think of Will Derting (’05 Ag.), they probably recall his three interceptions in a 2002 game against Nevada, including a 98-yard return for a touchdown in front of a screaming crowd.
Derting now channels the intensity he displayed as a linebacker at Washington State University into operating feedlots in central Washington.
“I like high-pressure situations; that’s the similarity to playing football at the collegiate level,” says Derting, who owns Post 5 Cattle Company in Ephrata with his wife, Nicole (’07 Crop Sci.). “In a feedlot, you’re bringing in thousands of head of cattle every week and taking out thousands. There’s all the chaos, all the moving parts—the animals, the people, the feed, the supplies.”
(Courtesy Post 5 Cattle Company)
In recent years, managing the cows’ heat stress has become part of his workload. When the Pacific Northwest’s 2021 heat dome hit, it caught the region’s commercial feedlot industry by surprise.
“We had never really dealt with heat like that,” Derting says. “It came on fast and it was prolonged. Because it came at the end of June, the cattle didn’t have a chance to acclimate. When the temperature jumps from the mid-80s to 115 degrees in a week, they don’t have enough time to adjust.”
The cows still had most of their long winter hair, so they couldn’t cool down as easily as they do in late summer when their coats are sleeker. As a result, their weight gain and market value suffered.
With hotter summers in the forecast, “we realized we needed more tools to help us mitigate for heat,” Derting says.
That led to the Cattle Comfort Index. Launched in 2022, the index is a cooperative effort between WSU AgWeatherNet, WSU Extension, and the Washington Cattle Feeders Association, where Derting is a past president.
The association purchased 15 new weather stations and installed them near commercial feedlots. The stations feed data to AgWeatherNet, which produces a localized forecast with a seven-day outlook for temperature, humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation.
The Cattle Comfort Index’s modeling is sensitive enough to capture humidity levels from nearby irrigation projects and provides the detailed forecast feedlot managers need to make high-stakes operational decisions.
“You’re not just looking at your phone’s weather app and hoping the information is accurate,” says Jack Field, executive director for the Washington Cattle Feeders Association. “I know feeders who look at the data every single day, whether it’s 45 degrees or 100 degrees.”
Heat stress from climate change is a threat to the global livestock industry, with repercussions for weight gain, fertility, milk yields, and animal welfare. Depending on species, breed, and weather conditions, cattle can start experiencing heat stress at temperatures greater than 68 degrees, according to food security research.
Like people, cattle can develop respiratory distress or heat exhaustion during extreme heat. But even mild symptoms—such as decreased appetite—are a concern for animal feeding operations.
“Sometimes we see cattle that won’t come to the feeders,” says Sarah Maki Smith, WSU animal sciences regional specialist with Grant County Extension. “They’re not putting on the weight or producing the muscle mass we want them to. Getting cattle to the point where they produce hamburgers or steaks for us takes about 16 months. There’s a lot of hard work involved, and we don’t want to lose those gains.”
With advance notification of adverse weather, livestock producers can take action to keep their animals healthy, comfortable, and putting on pounds. Providing shade, misters, and airflow helps the cattle stay cool during heat waves. Adjusting feeding times and feed ratios can be beneficial, too.
As ruminants, cows have “a huge fermentation vat” in their stomach that helps digest things like cellulose, Smith says. “They can eat what would be a really terrible salad for people every day and still produce high-quality meat.” But the fermentation generates lots of heat. “On hot days, we can push the feeding back until later in the evening, so peak fermentation might occur around midnight instead of 7 p.m.,” she says.
At Post 5 Cattle Company, Derting says his cows are fed a condensed, high-calorie diet to enhance weight gain. But cows are like people, he says. If they’re uncomfortably hot, they won’t want to consume a big, heavy meal.
Derting’s team has adopted protocols based on the index. “If the Cattle Comfort Index is over certain thresholds, we’ve outlined the steps we’re going to take to protect our animals against heat stress,” he says.
There’s strategy, awareness, and adaptation involved—another parallel to being a linebacker.
With both cattle and football, Derting says, “you’ve got to love the game.”
Learn more about heat
Feeling hot triggers impulsive behavior and irritability
The Pacific Northwest heats up
Outdoor workers feeling the heat
Hot but not bothered (adapting grasses to increased heat)
Playing it cool (using old techniques to cool new buildings)