Heatwave taking a hit on revenue for Tennessee farmers

ETHRIDGE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Brian Flowers has been farming his complete life.

“You have to like to do it for the work,” he stated. “It is a 100-plus hour every week job and also you’re on name 24/7.”

Flowers is the proprietor of proprietor and operator of Flowers Dairy Farms in Ethridge. He’s additionally the president of the American Dairy Affiliation of Tennessee.

Flowers Dairy Farms produces milk and cheese bought throughout the state.

“We promote to the Titans stadium,” stated Flowers. “All of the suites have our cheese trays and now the brand new soccer stadium.”

His spouse Morgan Flowers stated demand is on the rise.

“So, we’ve a Jersey herd right here on our farm, and we course of the Jersey milk, so it is excessive in butter-fat content material, so it makes actually creamy cheese,” she stated. “It is a good stable product. It additionally makes an excellent cream line on the milk.”

However currently, the weird warmth has been an utter drawback.

“They will not eat as a lot feed , within the hotter temperatures,” stated Flowers.

The cows are pressured, inflicting them to supply much less milk.

“With the warmth, it is a couple of 10-pound a day distinction, which is somewhat over a gallon a day much less is what they will produce within the warmth,” he stated.

Now Flowers is lacking out on about $400 a day in income.

“So from a regulatory standpoint, we use our Jersey herd. We even have a Holstein herd, however every heard is producing much less milk, so we’ve much less to really produce meals merchandise out of.”

For his or her consolation, the cows are staying cool in an open-air metallic pavilion with sprinklers and followers blowing. The perfect temperature for cows is 40 levels. However within the pavilion, the mixture of followers and sprinklers truly retains it at a cool 60 levels. It is one of the best Flowers can do, till Mom Nature cools off.