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Webinar: Selection for Parasite Resistance

Dr. Joan Burke
Image from USDA ARS

The next ASI Let's Grow Webinar will be held Tuesday, August 22, 2017, at 8 p.m. The topic is Selection for Parasite Resistance. The speaker is Dr. Joan Burke. The host is Dr. Jay Parsons. Dr. Burke is a USDA-ARS Research Animal Scientist at the Dale Bumper's Small Farm Research Center in Booneville, Arkansas. Dr. Parsons is from the University of Nebraska.

To register, to: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/regist…/1611123568671444227. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

The webinar is made possible with funding support from the Let's Grow Committee of the American Sheep Industry Association. The Let's Grow mission is to support and ensure the future of U.S. wool and lamb production.

Link to previous Let's Grow webinars

Goat Producers: Share Your Opinion

The USDA National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) is conducting needs-assessment surveys for its upcoming Goat 2019 study of the goat industry.  To help NAHMS craft the most informative study possible and obtain data that will be most beneficial to the goat industry.  The survey should take 10 minutes or less to complete.

NAHMS Goat 2019 Needs Assessment:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NAHMSGoat2019

The survey asks what you consider to be the most important health issues facing the U.S. goat industry.  It also asks you to help identify the information that is needed regarding health-management practices used in the U.S. goat industry sectors.  The survey will be available through September 8, 2017.

The goat study will initiate data collection in 2019. This will be the second NAHMS study of the goat industry. The data from the study will be reported only in summary form; individual responses will be confidential.  Results from the preliminary survey linked above will help determine the priorities and objectives for the goat study.

Additional information about NAHMS, including reports from prior goat studies, is available at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/nahms

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Summer 2017 Wild & Woolly

The Summer 2017 issue of Wild & Woolly has been published to the web. It is available as a PDF file or via ISSUU.

Wild & Woolly is a quarterly  newsletter for sheep and goat producers. It is published by the University of Maryland's Western Maryland Research & Education Center.

To receive an email when a new issue of the newsletter has been published, subscribe to the newsletter listserv by sending an email to listserv@listserv.umd.edu. In the body of the message, write subscribe sheepandgoatnews.

PDF: http://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/aded98_48d3ee266e304746973db9642128399c.pdf
ISSUU: https://issuu.com/mdsheepgoat/docs/summer2017

So. MD FAMACHA© Workshop: Aug 13

There will be an Integrated Parasite Management (IPM; FAMACHA©) workshop on Sunday, August 13, from 1 to 5 p.m. at Zekiah Farm, 5235 Bryantown Road, Waldorf, Maryland.

Participants (over the age of 16) will become certified in the use of the FAMACHA© eye anemia system. The workshop will consist of two hours of lecture/discussion and two hours of hands-on activity (FAMACHA© + fecal egg counting).  Participants will receive a FAMACHA© card and resource booklet. Additional cards may be purchased for $10.

Pre-registration is required by Tuesday, August 8. The registration fee is $35 per person, family, or farm. Register at https://famacha2.eventbrite.com. The registration fee can be paid online with a credit card or a check (payable to University of Maryland) can be sent to the Western Maryland Research & Education Center, c/o FAMACHA workshop, 18330 Keedysville Road, Keedysville, MD  21756.

The FAMACHA© system, along with the Five Point Check©, is a proven system for helping producers make deworming decisions for their small ruminants.

For information about the workshop, contact Susan Schoenian at (301) 432-2767 x343 or sschoen@umd.edu.

https://famacha2.eventbrite.com

FAMACHA© & Precision Farming

There will be an Integrated Parasite Management (IPM; FAMACHA©) workshop on Saturday, July 22, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Vista View Farm, 28301 Clarksburg Road, Damascus, Maryland.

The workshop will also include a demonstration of precision farming techniques, including use of electronic ID and automatic scales. Along with the University of Maryland, Northeast SARE is a co-sponsor of the workshop. Vista View Farm received a SARE grant to use realtime generated gain-of-gain to determine anthelmintic need in lambs.

Workshop participants (over the age of 16) will become certified in the use of the FAMACHA© eye anemia system. The FAMACHA© system, along with the Five Point Check© is used to determine the need for deworming small ruminants. Only animals with clinical signs of parasites should be dewormed.

The workshop will consist of two hours of lecture/discussion and two hours of hands-on activity (FAMACHA© + fecal egg counting).  Participants will receive a FAMACHA© card and resource booklet. Additional cards may be purchased for $10.

Pre-registration is required by Monday, July 17. The registration fee is $35 per person, family, or farm. Register at https://famacha1.eventbrite.com. The registration fee can be paid online with a credit card or a check (payable to University of Maryland) can be sent to the Western Maryland Research & Education Center, c/o FAMACHA workshop, 18330 Keedysville Road, Keedysville, MD  21756.

For information about the workshop, contact Susan Schoenian at (301) 432-2767 x343 or sschoen@umd.edu.

https://famacha1.eventbrite.com

Subscribe to the WORMINFO listserv

A listserv is an application that distributes messages to subscribers on an electronic mailing list.

WORMINFO is a new listserv for the American Consortium for Small Ruminant Parasite Control (ACSRPC). Subscribers will receive an email when something new has been posted to the consortium's web site:  acsrpc.org or wormx.info.  The listserv may also be used to distribute general information about internal parasite control in small ruminants.

To subscribe to the listserv, send an email message to listserv@listserv.umd.edu.

In the body of the message, write subscribe WORMINFO

To unsubscribe, send an email message to the same email address, but instead, write unsubscribe or signoff WORMINFO.

The WORMINFO listserv is intended for one-way communication. Subscribers should not respond to messages received from the listserv administrator.

The American Consortium for Small Ruminant Parasite Control (ACSRPC) is a group of veterinarians, scientists, and extension specialists dedicated to developing novel method of parasite control. It was organized almost 15 years ago in response to emerging dewormer resistance.

The University of Maryland Small Ruminant Extension Program maintains several other listservs:  Wild & Woolly Newsletter, Shepherd's Notebook blog, Meat Goat Test blog, and sheep and goat webinars. Go to www.sheepandgoat.com/listservs to learn more.

Composite Fecal Sampling

One of the methods for determining anthelmintic (dewormer) resistance is the Fecal Egg Count Reduction Test (FECRT). Fecal samples from individual animals are compared before or after treatment or to a control group after treatment. It is recommended that at least 15 animals be sampled.

As an alternative to individual fecal samples, researchers at the University of Georgia compared using pooled composite samples with individual samples. The results of their research were recently published in the Journal of Veterinary Parasitology, "Using composite fecal samples when testing for anthelmintic resistance in gastrointestinal nematodes of cattle."

Their research showed the mean fecal egg counts from the composite and individual fecal samples to be 98.9% in agreement. The fecal egg count reduction of the composite and individual samples was 95.9% in agreement.

The researchers concluded that composite sampling is a practical tool for producers to assess resistance and that is should improve parasitological testing among producers. Methods of composite sampling are discussed in the article.

Read journal article 

Skillathon Winners Announced

About sixty youth competed in the 2017 Junior Sheep & Goat Skillathon, held recently at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival. Youth and teams competed according to their ages as of January 1:  Junior, 8-10; Intermediate, 11-13; and Senior, 14-19.

The first place junior was Matthew Simpson from West Virginia. Eddyn Molden from Frederick County, Virginia, placed second. Brooke Crandell from Pennsylvania was third. The first place junior team was the team from Frederick County, Virginia. Howard County (Maryland) had the second place junior team.  Montgomery County was third.

Junior winners

In the intermediate division, Lizzy Miller from Montgomery County was first. Ana Clemmer from Howard County was second and Jordan Kelly from Frederick County (Virginia) was third. The first place intermediate team was the team from Frederick County (Virginia). Frederick County, Maryland, was second.

Intermediate winners

In the senior division, Brietta Latham from Howard County placed first. Two Charles County 4-Hers placed second and third, respectively:  Hayley Tanner and Taylar Burch. Howard County had the first place senior team, followed by Frederick County, Virginia, and Frederick County Maryland.

Senior winners

The Maryland Sheep Breeders Association provided ribbons and premiums to the top 10 individuals in each age division and Festival t-shirts to the top-3 teams.

Special thanks to Chris Anderson, 4-H Youth Animal Science Specialist with University of  Maryland Extension, for running this year's skillathon, while Susan Schoenian, Sheep & Goat Specialist, was on sabbatical.

The skillathon is always held the first weekend of May (Sunday) at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival. Competition is open to individuals and teams of youth (age 8-18) from any state or province.

Images by Chris Anderson

http://www.sheepandgoat.com/skillathon

Worms Kill 87,000 goats in 2015

According to a recent USDA report, "Goat and Kid Predator and Nonpredator Death Loss inthe United States," about 500,000 adult and kid goats were lost to all causes (nonpredator and predator) in the United States (in 2015), which represented 9.8 percent of U.S. adult goat inventory and 19.4 percent of kids born in 2015.

Nonpredator causes accounted for about three-fourths of all adult goat and kid death losses in the United States in 2015. Undetermined causes (found dead or unknown) accounted for the highest number of nonpredator losses in both goats and kids. Of known losses due to nonpredator causes, internal parasites were the primary cause of loss, resulting in almost 87,000 goat and kid deaths in 2015.

Internal parasites accounted for 22.7 percent of all known death losses:  24.8% of goats, 15.6% of pre-weaned kids, 37.7% of post-weaned kids, and 21.5% of all kids. Some of the unknown (found dead) death losses may also have been the result of internal parasites.

Source: Goat and Kid Predator and Nonpredator Death Loss in the United States, 2015

Spring 2017 Wild & Woolly

The Spring 2017 issue of Wild & Woolly is now available. Wild & Woolly is published by University of Maryland Extension. It is a quarterly newsletter for sheep and goat producers and anyone else interested in small ruminants.

Wild & Woolly is available in several formats:  HTML, PDF, and ISSUU.  You can subscribe to a listserv to receive an email message when a new issue has been published. To subscribe, send an email to listserv@listserv.umd.edu. In the body of the message, write subscribe sheepandgoatnews.

This issue includes articles on Merino sheep, mastitis, feedlotting dairy goats, calculating adjusted weaning weights, and electronic identification (RFID).

Previous issues of the newsletter can be accessed at http://www.sheepandgoat.com/newsletter.

http://www.sheepandgoat.com/spring2017
http://media.wix.com/ugd/aded98_e34f579c373d481aa9e7e7b3b9a99eca.pdf
https://issuu.com/mdsheepgoat/docs/spring2017

Reducing Worm Larvae With Liquid N

As it is well-known, barber pole larvae show increased resistance to commercial anthelmintics drenched to small ruminant livestock, and producers are looking for other alternatives. What about bypassing the livestock entirely and applying a larvicidal product directly on the pasture itself?  Laboratory studies we conducted at North Carolina State University showed that 96.6% L3 barber pole larvae were not moving or dead when immersed in solutions of liquid nitrogen fertilizer.  

So, could we pop two balloons with one dart by fertilizing pastures with liquid nitrogen fertilizer to promote forage growth and at the same time reducing pasture nematode larvae population, their subsequent ingestion by grazing animals and ultimately reducing gastrointestinal parasite loads? North Carolina State University conducted three experiments to test this hypothesis on predominantly tall fescue pastures.

Read full article at http://www.wormx.info/liquidn  

Kiko and Spanish Does Should be Preferred

Researchers at Tennessee State University evaluated health and reproductive traits of Boer, Kiko, Spanish, and Myotonic  does. The Myotonic, a heritage breed, was previously lacking in comparative assessment.

Kiko doe with twins

In the study, Boer (n=73), Kiko (n=115), Myotonic (n=80), and Spanish (n=114) meat goat does were compared for traits associated with health and reproduction. The herd was semi-intensively managed on humid subtropical pasture for 6 years. The study included 838 matings and over 2,000 records for body weight (BW), fecal egg count (FEC), and packed cell volume (PCV).

Boer and Kiko does had heavier BW than Spanish does, which were heavier than Mytonic does.  Myotonic does had lower FEC than Boer does; Kiko and Spanish were intermediate. Kiko, Myotonic, and Spanish does had higher PVC than Boer does. Annual kidding rates, weaning rates, doe retention rates, and kid crop weaned were greater for Kiko and Spanish does than for Boer does, whereas Myotonic does were intermediate.

The results suggest that Kiko and Spanish does should be preferred over Boer and Myotonic does for sustainable meat goat doe performance under limited-input management conditions. Myotonic does maintained the lowest FEC among all doe breeds and warrant further evaluation as a genetic resource for controlling gastrointestinal parasitism.

 Read Journal of Animal Science Abstract (April 2017)

DUP has no effect during periparturient period

Ewes experience a temporary decline in resistance to gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) during the periparturient period, characterized by a rise in fecal egg count (FEC) that represents a major source of pasture contamination for naïve progeny. The aim of an Irish study was to assess the effect of level of supplementation with digestible undegraded protein (DUP) during the last 6 weeks of pregnancy on periparturient FEC and the performance of ewes with a naturally acquired parasite infection.

Periparturient ewes

Eighty-five Belclare and Belclare x Scottish Blackface twin/triplet-bearing ewes were allocated to 1 of 4 dietary groups representing the combination of 2 concentrates (DUP concentration 29 and 94 g/kg dry matter) with 2 levels of concentrate during the final 6 weeks of gestation. All ewes were housed during the pre-partum feeding period and offered grass silage ad libitum.  After lambing, ewes and lambs grazed on permanent sheep pasture, without concentrate supplementation, until weaning (14 weeks post lambing).

The effect of week (relative to lambing date) on FEC was highly significant. However, diet did not influence FEC at any stage either pre- or post-partum.  The changes in BW and BCS from 6 weeks before lambing to weaning were not affected by the concentration of DUP in the supplement, but ewes on treatments involving the higher level of supplementation lost less BW and BCS.

The results of this study indicate that the level of DUP supplementation during the last 6 weeks of pregnancy does not affect FEC, BW or BCS of housed ewes with a naturally acquired GIN infection.

Read abstract from Veterinary Parasitology (February 2017).

2017 Junior Sheep & Goat Skillathon

The 2017 Junior Sheep & Goat Skillathon will be held Sunday, May 7 at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival. The festival is always held the first full weekend in May at the Howard County  Fairgrounds in West Friendship. For the first time, there will be an admission fee for adults ($5).  Everyone under 18 enters for free. Parking remains free.

A skillathon provides youth with the opportunity to blend knowledge and skills acquired in livestock judging, demonstrations, and care and exhibition of animals into a single activity. It consists of a series of stations where youth are tested on their knowledge and abilities related to livestock. In the Sheep & Goat Skillathon, all stations pertain to sheep and goats (meat, milk, and fiber).

Fleece judging is always one of the stations.

The Junior Sheep & Goat Skillathon is open to any youth between the ages of 8 and 18. Individuals and teams (of 3 or 4) from any county, state, or province may compete. Youth compete according to their age as of January 1st of the current year. Youth ages 8 to 10 compete as juniors; youth ages 11 to 13 compete as intermediates; and youth 14 to 18 compete as seniors.

Questions pertaining to this year's skillathon should be directed to Christopher Anderson, 4-H Youth Development Specialist, Animal Science, University of Maryland Extension, Maryland 4-H Center, 8020 Greenmead Drive, College Park, MD 20740, phone: (301) 314-7187, fax: (301) 314-7146 or canders2@umd.edu. Register online by April 28 at https://form.jotform.com/70254820764961.

Hold the Date: All Worms, All Day

A Delmarva Small Ruminant Conference dubbed "All Worms, All Day" will be held Saturday, December 9, 2017, at Delaware State University in Dover, Delaware.

The all-day program will be devoted 100 percent to internal parasites (worms). Speakers will include members of the American Consortium for Small Ruminant Control (ACSRPC). A youth program is also being planned.

Save the date now. Details will follow.

New Facebook Pages

Delaware State University and Fort Valley State University both have new Facebook pages that pertain to small ruminants.

Delaware State University's Facebook page is maintained by Dr. Kwame Matthews, the new Small Ruminant Specialist. Dr. Matthews has a split appointment between research, teaching, and extension. He received part of his education on Delmarva, before going to Tuskegee University (in Alabama) to get his doctorate. Parasites are one of his main research interests.

https://www.facebook.com/DSUSmallRuminantProgram

Fort Valley State University's Animal Science Extension Facebook Page is maintained by Dr. Niki Whitley, Animal Science Extension Specialist. Dr. Whitley works primarily with small ruminant production. She held similar positions at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and North Carolina A&T State University before returning to her home state of Georgia.

https://www.facebook.com/FVSUAnimalScienceExtension

Facebook is an online social media and social networking service. It has more than 1.86 billion monthly active users as of December 31, 2016.