Cattle Heat Load Forecasting Season Hots Up

The 2013 Cattle Heat Load forecasting season officially started this week. The Katestone forecasting team have been working hard over the summer to provide new updates to the service and a new look web site with new features soon to be added for Registered Users. [message type=”info”]The Cattle Heat Load Toolbox (CHLT) website has a new home at: http://chlt.com.au.  It looks like we’re starting off the season with uncharacteristic warm temperatures. While temperature is not the main driver of heat stress and should not be used as the sole indicator for heat stress events, it is one of the factors that contributes to heat stress. In reality, the complete interaction between solar radiation, temperature, relative humidity and wind speed and the duration of these events will all contribute to cattle heat stress. These are quantified as the Heat Load Index (HLI) and the Accumulated Heat Load Unit (AHLU). The new website features a new and exciting look. Some of the features are still under construction and may not be available until the official launch of the website (expected in the next few weeks). In the meantime, you can access all your favourite features such as:

• Public access to major town forecasts
• Public access to observations from the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) automatic weather stations (AWS) for major towns where available
• Australia-wide overview of Heat Load Index (HLI), Mean Sea Level Pressure (MSLP), and Rainfall
• CHLT tools (HLI and RAP calculators)
• New user Information to make it easier to use the site and interpret your forecast
• Site-specific forecast data

Additional features will be available soon and will include:

• Daily summary page of the forecast for your site (registered users only)
• Online access to update your contact and login details
• Online access to update alert options and preferences
• Integration of your data from your site AWS into the site forecast (if available)
• More user information on how to set an appropriate Alert level and other help features
• Add/edit/update contact details for all subscribers registered to your site (for site administrators)

And remember if you haven’t contacted us already to hook your site weather station into the Heat Load Data Network, give us a call today to ensure maximum protection of your feedlot cattle from heat stress. Call Frank Quintarelli or Andrew Wiebe on 07 3369 3699