Although it may currently feel a million miles away from turnout, it is quickly creeping up on us!
Now is the time to start considering parasite control strategies for the year to come, particularly with regards to youngstock. Our first drop of Huskvac, a lungworm vaccine will be landing at the practice this month. Vaccination is the cornerstone of lungworm control on farm as unlike gutworms, the first signs of lungworm may be coughing, by which time lungs may be significantly damaged.

I often hear that people are worming to control lungworm, and it would be worth a conversation with your vet about vaccination. Trying to use less wormers is not only beneficial for ecosystem engineers like dung beetles but also for pasture health. Recent studies have shown that ivermectin-contaminated manure can impede perennial rye grass growth by 18-22%. It has also been found that ivermectin can move from faeces into arable plants. In the States, it has been found in soy plants where it reduced both the number and weight of soybeans.

Grazing planning for youngstock should be standard practice, although it is often difficult as youngstock are often kept on the same fields year on year, that are either close to the farmyard or away, off the main grazing platform. Worm burden on pasture can build up substantially where youngstock are grazed every year. Rotational grazing can be beneficial in reducing worm burden, as well as producing more grass. Dr Bryony Sands looked at the impact of grazing strategy on worm egg counts and the pasture ecosystem on 30 dairy farms in the US states of Vermont and New York where she found that rotational grazing reduced worm egg counts down to a level comparable to the farms that were using veterinary parasiticides.

A longer rotation length can also be useful as the longer worm larvae are on pasture, the more likely they are to dessicate and die. Although this leads to longer grass, most worms are found in the bottom 5cm of the sward and so by allowing grass to grow longer, we can keep stock away from ingesting worm larvae, although this isn’t always true of pure ryegrass pastures.

Another benefit of taller grass is its ability to keep the soil cooler and better protected, leading to higher microbial activity. It also means that when animals lie down in these longer grasses, they are better able to dissipate their heat during periods of hot weather and potential heat stress.
The amount of biomass above the ground is the same as below and therefore tall grasses promote deeper root growth which improves resilience against drought and other damaging effects such as compaction. A healthy soil ecosystem also brings huge benefits for nature too.

We can work with you to develop an Integrated Parasite Control plan for your farm. With the review funding for the Animal Health and Welfare pathway now available again from DEFRA, you could use this as an opportunity to discuss this further. Speak to your vet about this funding anyway, as depending on whether you have cattle, sheep or pigs, there is around £400-500 for you to work with your vet!

But do remember, I love any opportunity to talk all things dung beetle and would be happy to help!- Claire