Summer Air Temperature Comparisons Between the Field and Woods in an Angus Beef Cattle Silvopasture in the Virginia Coastal Plain

The objective of this study was to compare corresponding temperature readings from loggers in the field and woods in a silvopasture for Angus beef cattle. Results show that temperatures during the hottest part of the day are greater in the field than in the woods. Summary statistics show higher maximum, upper quartile, and median temperatures at the field logger with all data analyzed, indicating the temperatures in the field are overall higher than the woods, except during temperature inversions at nighttime. This highlights the importance of providing cattle with shade to prevent heat exhaustion and thermal stress, especially when the difference in temperatures is as high as 6.47 °C (11.62 °F) during the daytime. The opposite phenomenon may be true in the colder months, as the herd tends to linger in the woods during the daytime in winter, as they do in summer. Because it is possible that the trees are buffering cows from cold temperatures in winter, future research should include year-round data collection.