Dairy scientists say the warning signs are growing.
Across wide stretches of farmland, dairy cows are beginning to struggle in ways farmers recognize immediately but consumers rarely see. The animals stand in the shade longer, eat less, and produce less milk as temperatures climb higher and stay there longer. What looks like an ordinary heat wave is slowly creating a deeper problem inside barns and processing plants across the country. When cows cannot cool down, their bodies shift energy away from milk production just to survive. The result spreads quietly through the supply chain. If the pattern continues, the familiar gallon in the refrigerator could become far less predictable than it once seemed.
