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Gambling with Horn
Fly Protection
Can Leave You
Economically Drained
The Gamble:
No Horn Fly Protection Each horn fly can bite and suck blood 20 to 40 times daily. Given
the horn fly's tremendous reproducing ability, horn fly
populations can easily reach 1,000 to 2,000 per cow . . . that's a
lot of bites! Horn fly populations above the economic threshold
(~200 horn flies per cow) cause cattle to spend more time fighting
horn flies than consuming dry matter, resulting in lower
production and profit potential.
The Cost:
-
Increased cow maintenance
requirements
-
Reduced feed efficiency
-
Reduced
milk production - up to 20% (USDA estimates)
-
Reduced gain - 0.25
- 0.5
lb/head/day (USDA estimates)
-
Mastitis transmission
- Horn flies
carry Staph. aureus, the primary cause of mastitis
Break the
Cycle
 Why
gamble with labor intensive, semi-effective horn fly control
measures?
ADM Alliance Nutrition's IGR (methoprene - Insect Growth
Regulator) provides a simple, effective solution to break the horn
life cycle, halting the economic drain to your dairy operation.
Since horn flies stay in very close proximity to the host cow and
generally leave only to lay eggs in fresh cow manure, control is
just a matter of breaking the cycle.
When the selective pesticide, methoprene, is consumed by cattle,
it passes through the cow's digestive tract intact into manure
where it breaks the horn fly life cycle by preventing pupae from
developing into irritating, blood sucking pests. Easy!
IGR Perks
Benefits of an
Effective Dairy Horn Fly Protection Program
-
No loss of milk production due to
horn fly irritation. For a cow producing 80 lb/day, a 10%
reduction in milk production means 8 lb less milk in the tank
daily. Multiple that by the number of lactating cows and the
economic drain intensifies.
-
Less Staph. aureus induced mastitis.
In herds with no fly control, over 50% of the heifers had Staph.
aureus infections compared to only 5.6% of heifers in herds with
fly control. Lower treatment costs, better milk quality, and
better milk production occurs when mastitis is controlled.
-
Replacement heifers gain better.
Research has shown heifers fed IGR gain more weight during the
horn fly season. This translates to earlier age at first
calving, lower feed cost, and overall better herd productivity
and longevity. Without horn fly protection, a loss of 0.25 lb
gain daily would translate to a heifer that weighs 37.5 lb less
over a 150-day horn fly season.
ADM Alliance
Nutrition offers . . .
-
Over 30 years expertise in
manufacturing feed products containing methoprene.
-
Consistent, stable, and reliable
amount of methoprene in feed products
-
Choice of forms and
performance-proven formulations to fit your specific needs
ADM Alliance Nutrition
possesses the knowledge and experience needed to produce and
deliver methoprene products that consistently out perform other
horn fly control products.
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