Improve or develop structures to reduce animal heat stress

Heat stress poses substantial challenges for animal agriculture. Approach 3.3 (Manage livestock to cope with warmer and drier conditions) described earlier outlined actions to manage current livestock systems for reduced heat stress by modifying stocking density, forage availability and type, and animal genetics or breed. This approach focuses on changes to infrastructure that reduce heat stress on animals.

Altering infrastructure is a strategy that supports the entire menu of adaptation responses. Because infrastructure generally has a high cost and long life span relative to other farm practices and activities, there is a greater need to consider the long-term implications of these investments. Changes and upgrades in farm infrastructure represent a specific opportunity for agricultural producers to consider deliberately expected future climate conditions, risks, and opportunities that could affect farm productivity and sustainability. Changes in infrastructure can be used to resist the effects of climate change and maintain current practices in place for a longer period of time, such as through the use of increased irrigation to offset reductions in precipitation. On the other end of the spectrum, altering infrastructure may facilitate a transition to entirely new systems, such as through the purchase of new facilities or equipment necessary for the production of a new, future-adapted commodity.