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Parasite management roadshow tours Coleraine & Hamilton offering key insights on weaner management best practice.

Announcement posted by Virbac Australia Pty Ltd 16 Sep 2019

With weaner parasite control being one of the most crucial management interventions for beef operations, leading animal health company Virbac has partnered with Elders Rural Services to run a week-long educational roadshow through country Victoria and South Australia.

Hosted by Virbac Australia Technical Services Manager Dr Matthew Ball and Elders Livestock Production Manager Rob Inglis, the roadshow visited Coleraine & Hamilton in Victoria on Thursday 12th September.

The roadshows mission has been to highlight strategic parasite management and product usage for optimal cattle production. According to Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), internal parasite infestation is one of the most significant diseases faced by red meat producers in Australia. Calves are highly susceptible to worms, being yet to develop immunity – so burdens will typically be at their peak during this time. As Rob explains, the roadshow is “a great opportunity for cattle producers and veterinarians to improve their knowledge and understanding of best practice weaner management and product usage, to help control these highly damaging parasites.”

The Coleraine & Hamilton events included an on-farm demonstration and presentations on the latest industry research and findings relating to weaner health and wellbeing, along with optimal drenching product strategies and end benefits. Presenting alongside Rob, Dr Matthew Ball revealed some valuable insights, explaining that the way a young heifer is cared for in both parasite control and nutrition will determine fertility during its lifespan. “Young cattle are much more prone to parasites than adult cattle, so we need to focus our best and most persistent drench treatments on these younger animals,” he explained.

“We also need to use drenches at strategic times,” he added, “because that helps to not only remove parasites from the animal, but also reduces contamination from the paddock.”

Beef producer Craig Grant from Lindsay Murray Greys, Coleraine described his local event as “a great opportunity to learn about controlling worms at critical times. A lot of the time we can get stuck in seminars covering the theoretical side of things, so it was good to have a hands-on component of this event. We have been looking for a long acting product that is potent and persistent to control our worm burdens at critical times of the year and we are interested in the results Cydectin Long Acting injection will give us. We hope to reduce our worm burdens and take the stress out of animals during the colder months which is when they are challenged the most.”

“Ultimately, it’s this type of information that will make a real difference in enhancing the productivity and profitability of a producer’s herd,” concludes Rob. “We’re pleased to be able to contribute our knowledge in this area, to help drive successful weaner management practices for Australia’s cattle producers.”
 
To find out more about best practice weaner management, please visit au.virbac.com
 
About the speakers:
Rob Inglis
Rob Inglis is the Livestock Production Manager at Elders Rural Services and has been with Elders for 10 years in Livestock Production. Rob spent 8 years as an Animal Nutritionist with NSW DPI, Charles Sturt University and Livestock Central.

Dr Matthew Ball
Dr Ball has 19 years experience helping cattle farmers in a range of clinical, advisory and research roles. His employment includes jobs in clinical practice, government and industry, and he’s also undertaken postgraduate qualifications in disease surveillance and education. Based on the northern rivers of NSW, Matthew is passionate about helping cattle farmers develop practical and profitable preventative health programs, helping them to understand how medicines work and the scientific differences between animal health products. 
 
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Media Enquiries:
Kate Munsie - C7EVEN COMMUNICATIONS
(02) 6766 4513 / 0421 935 843
kate.munsie@c7even.com.au
 
Photo captions:
  1. Coleraine on-farm demonstration
  2. Coleraine event presentation
  3. Hamilton event attendees - Rob Inglis, Andrew Mibus, Rod Evans and Dr Matthew Ball