Lallemand spotlights rumen stability in heat-stressed dairy herds

17/04/2026

Lallemand Animal Nutrition is putting rumen stability at the center of its latest dairy messaging as heat stress pressure builds across herds and feeding programs come under strain. In a company story published in March 2026, the group focused on the nutritional and management adjustments that can help protect intake, rumen function and milk performance during hot weather.

The piece notes that cows can begin to feel the effects of heat stress at a temperature-humidity index of 68. As respiration rises, bicarbonate is redirected from the rumen to the blood to help maintain acid-base balance, leaving cows more exposed to sub-acute ruminal acidosis, lower dry matter intake and weaker milk and component yield.

That is where rumen stability becomes more than a technical talking point. Lallemand links heat stress directly to reduced rumination and saliva production, two shifts that can quickly make diets harder to manage in practice, especially in high-producing dairy systems. The company’s message is clear: when cows eat less and sort more, maintaining consistent rumen conditions becomes a key part of protecting performance. 

The company points to a mix of practical responses, including support for rumen digestion with active dry yeast probiotics, balancing DCAD with buffers such as sodium bicarbonate and potassium carbonate, adjusting feeding times to cooler parts of the day, increasing feed push-ups, and monitoring total mixed ration moisture and particle size more closely. It also highlights silage inoculants with aerobic stability benefits as part of the wider heat-stress toolbox.