Agricultural News
Purge Your Pastures - Putting the Smackdown on Profit-Sucking Parasites
Mon, 03 Oct 2016 12:06:14 CDT
For cattle producers, parasites are a continual problem in any sector, be it cow/calf or stockers says extension Livestock Entomologist Dr. Justin Talley. Parasite control is something producers need to stay ahead of he told Farm Director Ron Hays, suggesting several options to help manage parasites in your herd.
When looking at the most common parasites in cattle herds, Dr. Talley says they are generally seen outside of the animal in the pasture. In developing a strategic program, Talley says you want to minimize pasture contaminations.
"One way to do that is to try to keep animals off that pasture at least for 90 days," Talley said adding two remedies to perform during that safe period. "Try to do something that minimizes the parasite burden like burning or making sure you de-worm any animals before you put them in that pasture."
Dr. Talley says it is important to understand that parasites will and do hurt the profitability and productivity of your cattle.
"When you have a parasite burden, they're impacting that animal's immuno-response," Talley said. "It impacts just the overall performance so they're not gaining as much because those parasites are stress - we just don't see that stress at the same time."
Listen to Dr. Justin Talley visit with Farm Director Ron Hays on how to stay ahead of parasites and their impact on your cattle's profitability and productivity on today's Beef Buzz.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR below for today's show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
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