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KIRKSVILLE, MO -- Record heat across the Heartland this summer have allowed researches at the University of Missouri to put the final touches on a new smartphone app that aims to help cattle producers monitor the extreme conditions.

Livestock researchers at the University of Missouri’s College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources have developed a smartphone app called “ThermalAid,” enabling cattle producers to more conveniently and reliably monitor livestock conditions in relation to local temperature and humidity levels.

Easy access to temperature and humidity index readings will help producers more quickly determine when their cattle are heat stressed. ThermalAid is designed for use with beef or dairy cattle in pastures, feedlots or barns.

“Producers can use this app to reduce the heat stress in their animals. Producers can go in and detect which animals are more heat stressed in a particular setting and go to additional means to reduce the levels in those animals not necessarily do it for the entire heard; the entire population of animals,” University of Missouri Animal Science Professor Don Spiers said.

A stopwatch-like feature of ThermalAid allows producers to count the number of breaths for an animal over a short interval. The producer then records the number and the app calculates the breaths-per-minute.

Heat-stressed cattle reduce their feed intake or stop eating completely, which lowers growth rates in beef cattle and reduces milk production in dairy cows. Also, heat stress can compromise cattle immune systems and jeopardize overall health.

ThermalAid is tied to a website, ThermalNet, that the research team has developed to offer extensive information on how to detect and reduce livestock heat stress. It is also an area that data from producers can be input.

“The beauty of the app over time is what we’ll be collecting data from the producers that will go into a large database that allows us to make even better predictions of how the animals will respond not only in Missouri, not only in the Midwest, but all over the country,” said Spiers.

Eventually a global network will be created between producers and heat stress specialists to provide specific site recommendations to alleviate the problem, and ultimately reduce costs to the producers and consumers.

Additional testing is planned for the next two months. The researchers hope to have ThermalAid available for use by cattle and dairy producers statewide, nationwide and worldwide by late fall.