The best things in life are free
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The best things in life are free |
By Clive Dalton
It has suddenly become very important for sheep farmers regardless of flock size to understand how internal parasites (worms) function and especially how they develop resistance to the chemicals in drenches.
Buying drench can now be a very confusing business with over 40 products on the market all based on only three chemical active ingredient families. So seeking reliable independent advice free from commercial promotion has never been so important
This book is essential background for sheep farmers regardless of flock size, who want to have a meaningful discussion with their veterinarian to develop a worm control programme for their farm as every farm is different. It will also be a valuable resource for students of sheep husbandry, veterinary nursing and animal care students, as well as staff in the farm servicing industries who have to sell drench to many clients who are not sure what is needed.
Noted cartoonist David Henshaw has provided the black and white drawings for the book.David drew the famous “Jock” cartoons for the New Zealand Farmer magazine for 30 years, and he still produces the annual “Jock” calendar while concentrating now in New Zealand rural landscapes. You’ll enjoy seeing the predicaments that sheep worms are causing “Jock”, as the cleverly reinforce the technical information
| It is written in an easy-to-read style so you only need to read what you need to know and can skip the rest to save time. Here’s what the book covers: | |
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Myths and half truths are rife about worms and drenching practices, so you now need to know about these. You then need to know the important worm species and how they live, how to test for them and how to control them with good farm management, because when drenches run out, we’ll be back to very basic management options.
You then need to know about drenches and drenching to control worms so the development of resistance can be avoided or delayed. Drench resistance is explained – what it is and how it developed. Sheep can be “resilient” and/or “resistant” to worms so you need to understand the difference, as well as the new approach of using “refugia” where some good animals are left undrenched to be a reservoir of susceptible worms that the drench will kill and hence delay resistance. This is a very new concept for internal parasites!
Understanding immunity is now vitally important in the battle to reduce dependence on anthelmintics where emphasis has got to go on to allowing the animal to develop its natural resistance. Then the whole area of what currently is bad advice and what is good advice is essential reading as a lot has changed.
Breeding for resistance to worms is the real long-term answer for sheep farmers as was shown with breeding for resistance to Facial Eczema. The book describes a simple breeding programme to do this with emphasis on keeping recording and costs to a minimum. As a result of reading early drafts of the book, at least six farmers are now breeding their own sheep for worm resistance.
Dr Clive Dalton with has background in sheep research, science communication and teaching, as well as being an award-winning agricultural journalist, is well qualified to summarise all this information and its implications in a reader-friendly way until formal official reports are published and the National Internal Parasite Management Strategy is developed by 2008.
For anyone who keeps sheep, dagging and drenching very soon lose their appeal – and the costs are so scary that nobody really works them out. This book will give help you reduce and avoid both jobs.
The book has no commercial sponsorship or any promotional giveaways. It is published by the author and is available from www.lifestyleblock.co.nz. Price is $39.95 which includes GST and postage within New Zealand. Overseas clients can buy the book via this link for NZ$39.95
Further information from clive@lifestyleblock.co.nz