Big Texas Rains Put Fly Control Into Larger Focus

In Texas things are always bigger, or seem so even if it is not the case outright. So, when Lone Star cattle producers say, yes, they had fly problems last summer, they’re not talking about modest annoyances that a pour-on or a spray could take care of. They’re talking about one of the worst infestations of flies that anyone can remember.

Reagan Moseley says the flies were so thick last summer you could rake them off the backs of the cattle with your hand. “And that’s literally what we had to do,” he explains, “because they weren’t budging when you approached or swat-ted at them.” He is still amazed how he could end up with a hand full of flies as he scraped the animals while putting them into chutes.

Moseley and his brother Brent raise cattle in the Pecan Bayou region, near Brownwood, on almost 1,100 acres of long-time family land.

“Last year’s heavy fly pressure resulted from unusually heavy rains,” notes Brent, who adds the Pecan Bayou, by nature, contributes to a moist environment that eventually attracts the flies. “Because of the influences of the bayou, rainfall here is typically heavier than in surrounding areas,” he says, “but nobody expected the rainfall to double.

”Normally their central Texas region receives about 26 inches a year. The official tally for 2009 was nearly twice that – 48.9 inches.

These rainfall deluges contrast with the drought the state experienced not too long ago. “The 1990s was a train wreck for drought,” says Phil Richey, vice president of marketing for Nelson Wholesale and a key supplier to regional producers, including the Moseley brothers.

Climate extremes come with the territory and heavy fly pressure is virtually a given. The combination of moist and dry weather swings is one reason for the large fly populations, accord-ing to Richey who is a soil specialist by education and has 40 years of cattle industry experience.

Lots of rain left the region moist enough to propagate huge fly populations; but dry spells in mid-summer mitigated the chance of the manure pats, where horn flies breed, from being washed completely away.

“We’d have some barn-burner showers every two weeks,” Richey recalls, “but it dried out enough between so flies could continue to breed in the pasture manure.”

Waging war with strategic full-season fly control

Texas producers like the Moseleys are well aware of the economic damage flies can cause to a herd: reduced weight gain, slower growing rates, higher feed outlays, and a myriad of health problems.

“We’ve seen quarter pound losses per day on some cattle,” says Reagan Moseley. Elaborating on the financial consequences producers suffer when horn flies attack, the Mosley brothers say they have experienced production losses up to 75 lbs. on a single animal “At $1.05, that’s a hit on the our operational budget,” Reagan adds.

As result, the Moseleys are proponents of strategic fly control programs that include laying down a solid preventive foundation with pour-ons and larvicides. “We rotate the chemicals in our ear tags, too,” Brent claims, “and when new products are introduced, we’re willing to try something new.”

Likewise, neighboring rancher Pierre Osbourn uses rubs and sprays with fly tags as an all-around program to keep flies at bay.

Last spring Richey recommended to these Pecan Bayou ranchers a new insecticide cattle ear tag – AVENGER™ – which had just been cleared and made available for beef cattle and lactating dairy cows. It was the first new chemistry used in insecticide cattle ear tags in 20 years. And according to Reagan and Brent, it couldn’t have come along at a better time. AVENGER utilizes a chemical class new to animal health and is manu-factured by KMG Chemicals, Inc. – the same company that makes the Patriot^® tags.

“We had used Patriot for years and like them,” says Reagan, “but I was impressed with the new AVENGER tags.” His brother Brent, who mentions they heed the advice of their sup-plier, Nelson Wholesale, was comfortable putting AVENGER on their cattle. Osbourn, on the other hand, was pleased because the tags are virtually odorless, not greasy to touch, and are easy to apply.

“AVENGER is the best tag we’ve used,” Brent says. After enjoying full season protection using just one tag per animal, Brent gives AVENGER the edge. He also sees both AVENGER and Patriot as being perfect compatriots in an ear tag rotation program that extends excellent full-season fly control.