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Most systems marketed as cow cooling are designed to move air in an effort to lower barn temperature.
Core Cool Systems was designed to do something different: protect the cow’s core body temperature (CBT).
CBT drives nearly everything that matters for performance. When core body temperature rises, cows respond in predictable ways:
- Feed intake declines
- Standing time increases; lying time decreases
- Immune function is compromised
- Fertility drops
- Milk yield and components suffer
If a cooling system does not protect CBT, performance losses still occur — even if fans are running.
Moving Air Is Not the Same as Cooling the Cow
Most agricultural ventilation systems are built to move large volumes of air. They improve air quality, reduce moisture, and make barns feel more comfortable for people.
But air movement alone does not prevent a cow’s core body temperature from rising, especially during high-THI conditions.
The fan industry has largely focused on size and CFM ratings — bigger fans, higher numbers, more air moved. But CFM is measured at the fan, not at the cow.
In open barns, air follows the path of least resistance. High-CFM fans often push air through feed alleys and open spaces rather than across cows in stalls. You may see impressive airspeed — even feed rolling down feed lanes toward exhaust fans — but cows don’t rest there.
Cooling only works if it reaches the cow. That means air speed in the stalls where we want cows spending a big portion of their day.
Cooling Where Cows Actually Spend Their Time
Cows spend 10–13 hours per day lying in stalls. When CBT rises while cows are resting, they respond by standing, panting, and reducing feed intake to cool themselves.
Core Cool focuses on cooling where it matters most:
- Stall-level cooling at cow height
- Bunk-line cooling to support intake
- Aggressive cooling in holding areas, where CBT rises quickly and recovers slowly
- Preventing CBT from rising during peak heat hours
- Nighttime cooling to support recovery and ensure cows start the next day comfortable
The goal is not cooling the barn — it’s protecting the cow. Keeping her core body cool.
Why We Don’t Rely on Soaking Yards or Bunk-Line Soakers
Soaking systems can reduce heat load temporarily, but they are reactive and come with trade-offs:
- Increased standing and walking time
- High water use and wastewater requirements
- Elevated mastitis risk
- Rapid return of heat stress once cows leave the soaked area
These systems respond after CBT has already risen.
Core Cool is designed to prevent that rise in the first place — using targeted airspeed, controlled evaporative cooling, and THI-based automation to protect cows while they rest and eat.
Our Philosophy Is Simple
- THI tells us when cows are at risk
- CBT tells us when performance is at risk
- Cooling only works if it protects CBT
That’s why Core Cool is:
- THI-controlled
- Variable-speed
- Focused on prevention, not recovery
- Designed around cow biology — not fan specifications
The Bottom Line
Ventilation can improve how a barn feels.
Focused core body cooling protects performance.
The real question isn’t how much air your fans can move —
it’s whether your cooling strategy is actually protecting cows’ core body temperature, in every stall, every day.
Want to talk through what this looks like in your barn?
Contact nancy@corecoolsystems.com or visit corecoolsystems.com