Because heat stressed cattle decrease their dry matter intake (8) and they spend more time standing still ( to maximise skin exposure to airflow), they gain less weight (8).

Sweating is one of the major ways which allows cattle to keep cool (8).

Belmont Reds are renowned for their heat tolerance, and some of this is attributed to their higher sweating capacity, and increased number of sweat glands.

Heat stress also negatively affects egg quality (8), sperm production (Morrell, 2020 from (8), and also placental development (Too & Dahl, 2013 from (8).

One of the key traits of the Belmont Red is their ability to cope with Australia’s harsh heat.

References
(8) Gonell-Diaza, A: “Heat Stress and its Impact on Cattle Reproduction”, IFAS Extension, University of Florida (2025)