Harness the power of forages against drench resistance
Words: Agricom
Forage crops have long played a role in maintaining summer production and reducing health issues linked to wild type endophyte and facial eczema.
Today, they’re also an essential tool for managing internal parasite burdens and addressing the growing challenge of drench resistance across New Zealand. Their ability to reduce parasite pressure and create opportunities to lift farm productivity is well recognised, particularly on farms already dealing with drench resistance issues.
A range of proven forage options can help reduce worm larval challenges on-farm, including forage herbs like Ecotain environmental plantain and Choice chicory, legumes such as Relish red clover and Titan 5 lucerne, and brassicas like Hunter leafy turnip, Mainstar and Spitfire forage rape, and SovGold kale. These forages can significantly lower worm burdens, not only within the cropped area, but across the whole farm system. In some cases, this can reduce the need for drenching which helps slow the development of drench resistance. Agricom offers all of these forages as part of its comprehensive portfolio designed to support animal health and productivity.
The L3 larval stage of internal parasites is the infective stage of their life cycle and is what animals ingest while grazing pasture. These larvae thrive in warm, wet, and dark environments, conditions commonly found at the base of NZ’s grass pastures. In contrast, the upright growth and open sward structure of the forage species mentioned earlier create a less favourable environment for infective larvae survival, making them a valuable alternative to traditional grass based pastures.
Forages like Relish red clover not only create sward conditions that are less favourable for parasite larvae, but also offer higher levels of dietary protein and energy for grazing animals. This is crucial for both the animal’s immune response to parasite burdens and overall productivity, such as improved liveweight gain. The more protein in the diet, the better equipped animals are to cope with parasite burden while remaining productive. As a result, animals can reach finishing weights faster, which not only improves the farm’s bottom line but also reduces the time livestock spend spreading parasites across the farm.
Typically, only about 5 per cent of a farm’s total parasite population resides within the animal, with the remaining 95 per cent living in the pasture.
Cropping rotations help break the parasite life cycle by effectively ‘burying the problem,’ as cultivation can significantly reduce larval loads within a paddock. When this is followed by sowing a forage species with an architecture that’s unfavourable to parasite survival, the result is a powerful combination: a reduced parasite challenge for a period of time and a significant improvement to animal productivity.
For additional information on this topic check out The Al & Juddy Show podcast episodes ‘Fighting drench resistance with forage plants’ featuring Greg Mirams, and ‘Rethinking parasite control in NZ sheep farming’ with Trevor Cook. You can also get in touch with your local Agricom representative for further information regarding forages to help combat drench resistance.