Too hot to handle Crops are an integral part of many systems, supplying supplementary feed when pasture covers get tight during autumn and winter. Unfortunately, nothing in life is ever that simple with many of the popular choices for crop being higher risk for nitrate accumulation, placing us between a rock and a hard place…
The NZ Sheep industry is evolving, with the perception of strong wool reaching a tipping point and many farmers looking to convert flocks to finer wool and shedding breeds. Rising costs of using the woolshed and the declining prices of strong wool has made the future of wool a point of discussion at every level…
Earlier this year Vet Services hosted a Wool Workshop looking at the future of the NZ Wool industry. Professor Steve Morris from Massey University, Dean Martin of Glenlands Farms, Morrison Farming, and Focus Genetics shared what they have learnt while introducing shedding breeds in to strong wool flocks. Prof Steve Morris – Massey University Many…
Drench Resistance is the number one animal health issue facing farmers and their vets in the sheep & beef industry. We are very concerned – here’s why. We have no new tools in the box to tackle this issue. No new knowledge, no new drench families, and we have to work with what we currently…
Drench Resistance is the number one animal health issue facing farmers and their vets in the sheep & beef industry. We are very concerned – here’s why • We have no new tools in the box to tackle this issue. No new knowledge, no new drench families, and we have to work with what we…
While long acting anthelmintics have a role in the management of parasites in lambing ewes and the subsequent levels of pasture contamination, their use contributes to the onset and extent of anthelmintic resistance. With growing concern over the number of farms in NZ now showing clinical and subclinical issues with anthelmintic resistance, the following should be considered…
Regional average spore counts are around the 25,000 mark, with hotspots across the region, indicating the risk is not over yet. One of the sites on Ocean Beach Road is still 115,000. Best advice is to monitor the spore counts on your pastures to assess risk more accurately. Hastings Results Waipukurau Results Further…
Facial Eczema Pasture Spore Counting Facial eczema is a disease caused by the fungus Pithomyces chartarum; which produces a toxin (sporidesmin) resulting in liver damage and photosensitivity. It grows on dead plant material at the base of the sward and thrives in warm, humid conditions. A good way to determine the risk level of your…
Monitor drenches used on farm annually by completing a faecal egg count check at 10 days after drenching. Do this for each different drench family that you use during the season. Try to complete as early in the season as possible. Quarantine drench: On arrival at the farm, drench all stock with a…
Waipukurau After a slight increase due to warm rain a few weeks ago the counts have dropped again, and with cooler nights the spore counts are expected to remain in this mid-low zone. We still have some potential for warm weather for another month or so but it is the night-time temperatures that are needed…
What is it? Facial eczema is a disease affecting sheep, cattle and alpacas, and is caused by a toxin called sporidesmin. Sporidesmin is produced by the spores of the fungus Pithomyces chartarum growing on pasture. The fungus grows in the base of pasture in warm moist conditions found at this time of year. When ingested…
An update from each of the Vet Services Regions. WAIPUKURAU Camille Flack, Production Animal Veterinarian Group Leader We start the year quite differently compared to this time last year. Last year the first cases of Covid-19 were being confirmed in New Zealand and we were starting to get concerned about the dry. This year while…
