The American Meat Science Association (AMSA) is excited to announce that Drs. Scheffler, Yates, and Stelzleni will present in the Concurrent Session over “Combating Heat Stress in Livestock: Strategies for Sustainable Meat Production in a Changing Climate”, on Monday, June 23, 2025 sponsored by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), at the 78th Reciprocal Meat Conference (RMC). As global surface temperatures continue to rise and demand for high-quality animal protein intensifies, concerns about heat stress in livestock are becoming increasingly urgent. Chronic heat exposure—especially in subtropical regions like the Southeastern U.S.—disrupts muscle growth and fat deposition through systemic inflammation, ultimately compromising animal welfare, carcass quality, and production efficiency. This timely session brings together leading researchers to explore the physiological, cellular, and environmental dimensions of heat stress, emphasizing the need for thermoregulatory resilience in livestock and the development of therapeutic strategies to mitigate its harmful effects. 

Weathering the Heat: From Animal to Cell 

Projected increases in global temperatures, along with greater demand for animal protein, are further heightening concerns regarding adverse consequences of heat stress on livestock production and welfare. Thus, it may be necessary to place greater emphasis on utilizing animals that are more resilient in hotter environments. The capacity for thermoregulation depends on both heat dissipation and heat production. Adaptations or characteristics related to thermoregulation can be viewed from animal, organ, and cellular perspectives. Parameters of cellular metabolism may have meaningful consequences for the animal’s thermoregulatory capacity. 

Speaker: Tracy Scheffler, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Animal Sciences, University of Florida 

The Role of Inflammation in Chronic Heat Stress of Growing Livestock 

Heat stress is a leading cause of poor well-being and growth performance in livestock. Recent work has characterized the contributions of heat stress-induced systemic inflammation to these poor outcomes. Specifically, sustained exposure of skeletal muscle to inflammation disrupts cellular processes for growth and intramuscular fat deposition, which impacts carcass quality and yield. This overview summarizes investigation of the associations among heat stress, inflammation, and dysregulated muscle growth in meat animals. It also presents assessments of the impact of therapeutic manipulation of inflammation on the unique pathophysiology of heat stress.

 Speaker: Dusty Yates, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Animal Science, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

 Consequences of Chronic Heat Stress on Finishing Beef Efficiency, Quality, and Yield

 Increasing beef consumption worldwide, niche and direct marketing of beef products, and diversification among beef producers is at a crossroads with native climates and climatic changes. To meet demand more producers are retaining and finishing beef in the Southeastern U.S. and other subtropical regions around the world. These regions also serve as valuable models for other areas as global surface temperatures continue to rise. While heat stress in finishing cattle has traditionally been considered an acute issue, in the Southeastern U.S. and subtropical regions, it has become a chronic challenge, lasting for weeks or months with little to no relief. Gaining a deeper understanding of the physiological impacts of chronic heat stress on beef cattle and developing effective solutions to address animal welfare and production efficiency concerns will be increasingly essential.

 Speaker: Alexander Stelzleni, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, University of Georgia

 The AMSA 78^th RMC is co-hosted by JBT and The Ohio State University and will take place June 22-25, 2025, at the Hilton Columbus Downtown on Columbus, Ohio. For more information or to register please go online: www.meatscience.org/rmc.