Hosted by Phytobiotics Ruminant BU Country Sales Director Mahmut Insel, the events drew wide participation and shared immediately applicable strategies for safeguarding livestock productivity under extreme weather conditions.

At the Arcadia meeting, Dr. Anna Catharina Berge (Berge Consulting) delivered a data-driven presentation focusing on the long-term economic impact of heat stress on youngstock, particularly calves. She emphasized that in-utero heat stress can cause permanent damage, affecting growth, immune function, and lifetime milk production. Lower birth weights, suppressed immune response following colostrum intake, and greater disease susceptibility translate directly into economic inefficiency at the herd level. Dr. Berge stressed that managing thermal comfort in the earliest days of life isn’t just a welfare issue — it’s a strategic investment in herd performance. Her session underscored how precision calf management, facility design, and colostrum timing can yield high returns through reduced losses and stronger lifetime yields.

Supporting her insights, Dr. Oguz Calisici (Phytobiotics GmbH) presented the role of Immune Milk — a high-quality colostrum supplement — in boosting passive immunity, especially under heat-stressed conditions. Field results showed reduced incidence of scours and respiratory infections, making it a cost-effective intervention for vulnerable calves. Dr. Barishan Dogan (Phytobiotics Turkiye) followed with evidence on Sangrovit, a phytobiotic solution shown to stabilize feed intake, support digestion, and improve metabolic resilience during heat stress. He shared on-farm data indicating its positive effects on lactation performance and herd health.

The Izmir session featured Prof. Dr. Mehmet Cengiz (Mugla Sitki Kocman University), who shared comparative field trial data on dairy cows supplemented with Sangrovit. The study showed an increase in milk yield from 26.0 kg in control groups to 36.6 kg in supplemented herds during high-THI summer periods. Embryonic loss rates also dropped significantly. Prof. Cengiz highlighted how heat stress affects reproductive hormones, follicular development, and mammary regeneration — again linking physiological stability with economic viability.

Dr. Berge and Dr. Calisici also repeated their Arcadia presentations in Izmir, ensuring regional accessibility to the same scientific content. Across both events, the intersection of animal welfare, nutritional science, and operational profitability remained the central theme.

As feedback from attendees confirmed, the meetings succeeded not only in translating complex science into field-level solutions, but also in reinforcing the message that climate resilience in livestock production is an economic imperative. Preventive strategies — including immune system support, nutritional stabilization, anti-inflammatory additives, and microclimate control — are not just good practice; they are vital tools for maintaining sustainable, profitable farming under climate pressure.

With extreme heat events expected to intensify in the years ahead, such gatherings offer more than knowledge-sharing — they represent the foundation for future-proofing livestock economies through integrated, science-based planning.