Beef feedlots in hot regions expose cattle to severe heat stress, and the welfare implications of thermal management failures cause suffering at enormous scale.
Heat stress in feedlot cattle causes suffering that ranges from discomfort to death. Animals unable to thermoregulate show panting, reduced feed intake, crowding, and ultimately collapse. Despite significant economic incentive to prevent heat deaths, shade provision remains inconsistent across the industry. The behavioral needs of cattle during heat events — shade-seeking, wallowing, reduced activity — conflict with feedlot design focused on feed access and pen management. Climate change is intensifying this welfare challenge, requiring both immediate provision of shade and water misters, and longer-term rethinking of feedlot siting and management.