Cows in the California Fire

 Aside from the horrific damage in the immediate area of the fire, reports of unhealthy air quality are beginning to emerge from the areas surrounding the afflicted area. Poor air quality is evident hundreds of miles away.

Poor air quality can irritate your eyes, nose, and throat, cause shortness of breath, aggravate asthma and other respiratory conditions, and even affect your heart and cardiovascular system.

We were wondering how cows in the area are affected by poor air quality conditions.

Air quality map of California, November 17th, 2018. Green circle highlights the area in which the herds we checked are located.

We checked rumination levels in herds located in the Modesto, CA area. Across the board, an average of 30-minute drop in average daily rumination is evident.

Obviously ,the cows are also affected by the poor air quality

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Group rumination graph from a herd located near Turlock CA. Note the drop in average rumination on November 10