Nick joined Wynnstay 11 years ago after spending 15 years as a territory manager for Pfizer, and before that, selling dairy chemicals in the Lancashire area for 2 years.
Nick completed an NDA at Myerscough Agri where he took a keen interest in dairy along with animal health.
Lungworm disease in cattle is caused by the Dictyocaulus viviparus parasite, and is normally seen in mid to late summer, although infections can start as early as July. Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health is urging cattle producers to lessen the risk of disease outbreaks by proactively managing pasture larvae levels throughout the grazing season and using an appropriate disease control programme.
Cattle may gain some immunity to lungworm either through vaccination before turnout, or through low level exposure at grass. However, this immunity can be short lived and if natural boosting does not occur during the grazing season, animals may be susceptible to disease when larvae populations on the pasture rapidly increase.
All animal medications, in particular those used to control blowflies, must be administered properly. It will save you time and ensure that you get the most out of your items if you take a little time to plan and consider the entire task at hand before you do anything. Specialists at Elanco recommend following the below steps to keep your flock free from blowfly infestations.
Wet and mild conditions over the winter can lead to higher fly populations in the spring, which is why it is important for dairy farmers to act early to control the pest while the majority of the population are yet to hatch.
58% of non-vaccinating dairy farms and 22% of non-vaccinating beef farms test positive for exposure to leptospirosis. In the UK, two strains have been identified - Leptospira interrogans serovar hardjo and Leptospira borgpetersenii serovar hardjo.
Now is the time to consider parasite control for animals that will be housed over the winter period. In conjunction with your RAMA or vet, you need to work out what parasites you need to treat, which products to use, and when to administer them.
In order to increase performance in any flock, it is important to consider regular body condition scoring (BCS) in order to identify any drastic changes in ewe condition not noticeable through observation alone. Through this you can ensure that ewes are on target for the system and the time of year, and in turn will result in improved fertility, increased lamb performance and reduced incidence of metabolic diseases.
The target condition score will vary depending on the farm type, breed, and time of year and ewe prolificacy.
Control of the spring rise using CYDECTIN® Long Acting Injection for sheep was determined to be highly effective in a recent study. The study investigated the impact of utilising persistent and non-persistent treatments to control the spring rise.
The sudden death of livestock is every farmers’ worst fear. Not only is it upsetting and stressful, it’s also extremely costly. Yet productive animals are lost to Clostridial diseases on a daily basis. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way. Protecting your sheep and cattle from lethal Clostridial toxins can be easy, effective and affordable.
The NADIS blowfly forecast suggests that weather conditions in your area mean that local flocks are at MEDIUM-risk of blowfly strike caused by female flies being active and laying eggs.
The importance of a colostrum to a calf is well known and can’t be over stated. Guaranteeing a calf receives an adequate amount of good-quality colostrum soon after birth, is one of the most important things to ensure strong, healthy growth and will have a major impact on farm profitability.
