The Irish Farmers Journal is just over half way through its suckler marts roadshow with two events left in the series, both in the south of the country. Next Wednesday 20 November sees the roadshow roll into Ennis where proceedings will kick off at 7pm.

The Clare event will take place in Clare Marts, Ennis and will partner with Dovea Genetics and Munster Bovine for a livestock demo on the night.

Fluke Control

Liver fluke dominated much of the veterinary based discussion at the mart events so far. Triclabendazole resistance has started to become a problem on some beef farms and this could also be a reason for increased liver fluke damage.

The most common signs of fluke in cattle are poor thrive, loss of condition and, in very advanced stages, bottle jaw and anaemia during the chronic phase.

Triclabendazole-based doses are the only product that can kill early immature, mature and adult liver fluke with an effectiveness of between 90% and 100%.

These have been widely used in cattle herds and sheep flocks and this is one of the reasons resistances has developed. Remember that mature fluke are over eight weeks of age, so if you are using a product that is only active against mature fluke, animals must be housed for at least eight weeks to get high efficiency.

Liver fluke control is very important in autumn/winter-calving cows, as the presence of liver fluke parasites adds to nutritional stress and has the potential to reduce animal performance and add to delayed resumption of cyclicity.

Many of the vets that have been involved in the roadshows have pointed to faecal sampling as being part of any decision to dose for fluke but all also stressed the importance of not relying on a negative faecal sample as the reason not to dose for fluke this winter.

One of the suckler outfits on display in Balla Mart

All farms are specific and will have different conditions and different challenges so it’s important to consult with your vet in drafting up a fluke control programme for any farm.

Lice was also on the agenda with a number of farmers questioning why some products only require one application while others might require two.

All vets pointed to the life cycle of lice being around 16-21 days, so any eggs present at the first treatment may survive and hence the second treatment in some cases is needed.

The importance of treating all cattle in a shed was stressed along with making sure the area on the animal where the pour on product is being used is dry and clean.

Another suckler cow and calf outfit on display in Balla mart.

All vets also said they had seen a spike in pneumonia cases over the last two weeks with lungworm infections being attributed to some of these outbreaks.

Adopting a different dosing strategy between bought in weanlings and home bred weanlings was advised with a settling period advised before any dosing takes place in bought in weanlings.

Getting nutrition right has also been discussed at the roadshow with winter feeding a critical component to good weight gains over the winer months.

Rose Goulding talking about bull selection on different cow types at the events

Silage quality is the key determinant on what level of meals you need to feed to weanlings.

A recent Irish Farmers Journal survey of beef farmers showed that over 90% of beef farmers haven’t had their silage quality tested so they are working blind in terms of feeding rates. Table 2 outlines the feeding rates required on different silage qualities.

Cats and Mice

Rose Goulding, beef programme manager with the National Cattle Breeding Centre (NCBC) gave an overview of different Progressive Genetics bulls to use to breed different types of cattle.

“We can’t forget the importance of the cow in breeding good cattle.

“Cats don’t have mice and poor quality cows won’t breed a show calf no matter what bull you use.”

When questioned on calving difficulty she said it was horses for courses and different farmers can cope with different levels of difficulty.

“If you’re working off farm and not at home, you need to adjust calving difficulty to suit your system.”

Remaining roadshows

There are two remaining dates in the series with the next event taking place in Clare Marts, Ennis next Wednesday 20 November and the following week the team will be in Kerry in Gortatlea Mart on Wednesday 28 November. Both events are taking place in association with Dovea Genetics and Munster Bovine with events kicking off on both nights at 7pm and wrapped up by 9pm.

A free to enter raffle will be held on each night for attendees and tea and refreshments will also be served at the end of the event.