Internal Parasites

Southern Plains Bison Pointers February 2018

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  Pasture Management   February in the south can be hard to set your planning calendar by. We can have lots of moisture cycle extremes and the best plan is to be ready for anything. Much of the drought-stricken areas have experienced relief, while some are still waiting. This reality can make it hard to know how to plan your AU’s (Animal Units) for the habitat/ farm/ ranch. Personally, I suggest to folks that you plan for what you have, intentionally under-stock, and keep track of that balance. The equation that will serve you well is; (Land first) /( bison … Read more

Southern Plains Bison Pointers Nov 2017

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What ‘the heck’ happening Out There!   This is a normal question in the southern plains this time of year. Everything has been so green and the bison living has been easy all summer long. All at once the rain stopped, and just in time to stop the growth of planted winter feed and/or native cool season plants. The other factor in many southern plains operations is the exotic grasses (warm season) like Coastal Bermuda, which once brown goes completely ineffective as nutrition. So – what (is) going on out there? As I wrote in my last blog,  this is the time … Read more

Southern Plains Bison Pointers Aug 2017

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  Bison Parasitology Programs   2017 has dealt us with an interesting August.  We’ve seen rain and relatively cooler ‘dawg-day’ temperatures intermittently. The grass is jumping, and out-running the herds, and the livin’ is easy. This has also made for an interesting southern plains summer in other regards. The plant community has become atypical. So you might be asking at this point; can’t this guy ever ‘just be happy?’ and I would agree with that reaction while laughing with you, and/but! It is the charge of a habitat/ ranch/ farm manager for bison to look (and) see. Keep in mind … Read more

Botanical Solutions for Internal Parasites

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While internal parasites are a fact of life in ranching, there are alternative holistic solutions available to assist in their suppression. A high priority should be rotational paddock shift grazing and the encouragement of dung beetle populations. A healthy mixed sward pasture including medicinal forbs is also very important. Access to tannin rich browseable trees such as oak, mesquite, hickory, locust, elm, etc have a strong negative effect on the worms. Specific plants proven to possess vermicidal/anthelmintic properties are Wormwood (Artemesia), Wormseed or Epazote, Garlic, Senna, Pumpkin seed, Prickly Ash, Monarda, Black Walnut, Tobacco, Neem and Pomegranate root, among others. … Read more