Yun Jiang, assistant professor of animal and dairy sciences, received USDA-NIFA funding for her project “Identifying Blood Biomarkers to Improve Heat-Stress Resistance in Dairy Cows” through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative’s Foundational and Applied Science program. It was among ten projects sharing $5.4 million in funding.

Project summary (from NIFA database): Heat stress is becoming an increasing concern for the dairy industry in the U.S. and worldwide. While previous studies have improved our understanding of how heat stress affects dairy cow metabolism, little research has explored whether metabolic differences before heat exposure can predict a cow’s ability to cope with heat stress. Our preliminary study has revealed unique metabolomic profiles in heat-stress-resistant cows. This finding calls for further investigation with a larger sample size to identify the most influential metabolites and to develop predictive models for heat-resistance. These will facilitate the selection of heat-resistant animals that can maintain optimal productivity and wellbeing during heat stress, ultimately enhancing the dairy industry’s adaptability to environmental challenges and improve both the sustainability and economic stability of the dairy sector. Therefore, this proposal seeks to achieve the objective: 1) Identify plasma biomarkers indicative of heat stress resistance in lactating dairy cows and develop a statistical model utilizing the most influential metabolites to predict heat stress resistance in lactating dairy cows.Over two years, we will study 160 Holstein cows from Wisconsin and Georgia to understand why some cows are more resistant to heat stress. We will monitor their body temperature, milk production, and behavior using advanced sensor technology. Additionally, blood samples will be analyzed before heat stress to identify biological markers that may predict which cows are more heat-resistant.By analyzing this data, we hope to develop a method to identify and select cows that can better handle hot conditions, ensuring stable milk production even during heat waves. The findings could help farmers select or manage their herds more effectively to reduce heat stress impacts, improve animal welfare, and maintain milk production. Additionally, this research may lead to new nutritional strategies that help all cows become more resilient to high temperatures, benefiting dairy farming.