Pay Attention to Flies
Temperatures will get into the 70's consistently in the next month. This activates fly larvae and now is the time to control them. Every fly killed in April reduces the fly population in August by 10,000! Our partial list of fly control products is included.

Spectramast Deal
Zoetis has partnered with us to offer buy 5 buckets of Spectramast (mix and match LC and DC) and get one tub of Orbaseal free. Offer good until June 30 or 10 tubs of Orbaseal have been given away.

Bird Flu in Cows
Any communication about dairy has to include a discussion about Texas mystery disease now confirmed to be due to HPAI (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza). The situation has been changing rapidly this last week of March. In February, Texas panhandle herds began experiencing dramatic milk production drops within

5 to 10% of second lactation pregnant cows greater than 150 days in milk. After two weeks most cows have come back to close to what their previous production levels were. There is no death loss. While some herds have cows with fever, there have been no abortions. Some cows present with transient respiratory signs. Decreased rumen motility may be the first sign, then the drop in milk production with milk of the consistency of colostrum. Feces consistency is variable with more constipation than diarrhea.

Two herds in Texas, two herds in Kansas, and one herd in Michigan that recently received cattle from Texas are confirmed to have HPAI. There are also presumptive diagnosis in New Mexico, Idaho and more herds in Texas. Additionally there are several more herds that have fit the description of the disease. The Texas and Kansas herds appear to have  been  infected  by  wild  birds.  HPAI transmission between cattle cannot be ruled out yet. Initial testing has not found changes to the virus that would make it more transmissible to humans. While cases in humans in direct contact with infected animals are possible, the current risk to the public is low.

We are advised to practice good bio-security. This means isolate incoming animals especially from outside sources. Test before any necessary movement, minimize animal movements, and isolate sick cattle from the herd. Give us a heads up to get the nasal swabs. Bio-security against disease spread by wild birds is obviously tough.

There is no current concern for the safety of the commercial milk supply because pasteurization is required and it is effective at neutralizing the virus. HPAI has been found in raw milk from the affected herds. Milk from herds infected should be pasteurized before being fed to calves. We would recommend having a bacterial quantification performed on the pasteurized milk to be sure the pasteurization was effective.

We will continue to update you by email as this situation develops.

Asian Longhorn Ticks in Ohio
In 2021, a southeastern Ohio farm found theses ticks in the 1O's of thousands on animals leading to death by blood loss. These ticks have exponential growth potential and resilience. They are going to spread to every part of Ohio and they are going to be a management problem. There is no getting rid of them. Our control agents currently seam to kill them. Unmowed pastures are an ideal breeding ground. Besides the exsanguination issue, these ticks can also carry Theleria and Anaplasmosis, which are hemolytic diseases. We had our first anaplasmosis case last year.