Alabama cattlemen keep close eye on livestock during heatwave

BIBB CO., Ala, (WBRC) - The cattle industry in Alabama is a major economic force, one that’s estimated to be worth around two and a half billion dollars. With that figure in mind, cattlemen throughout the state have every incentive to not only keep themselves cool during this heatwave, but also their livestock.

There’ve been no reports of any cattle dying because of the heat, and that’s primarily because cattlemen are doing what needs to be done to take care of them.

In Bibb County you’ll find fifth generation cattleman Ashton Cottingham overseeing more than 200 cows and some one-thousand acres of land. Cottingham says he’s making sure his cattle have good clean water and the cows themselves do the rest. By that, we mean they instinctively know where to find shade and Cottingham has plenty of that on his farm in Centreville.

“Our cows are more adaptive to heat here than say the north. The cows in the north put on more hair. Our cows are drinking clean well water, cool and stay clean and yes they are drinking more water right now than normal, but we want them too,” said Cottingham.

Ashton Cottingham says cattle prefer this type of weather... no matter how hot it gets...over cold and wet. Cottingham also says the average cow on his farm is drinking around 25 gallons of water per day and he’s drinking a lot of water, too, but not that much.

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