Working Ranch April/May 2025

Make Your Mark

to the hide before the animal is har vested affects the animal’s sale price. Brand placement is critical because a brand mark in the center of the rib cage or on the shoulder is in the

symbol, such as a circle with a line drawn through it, because an unclear mark results. Although leather prices have dropped, anything a rancher does

Controlling Flies

H orn, face, house, and stable flies cause animals to lose weight and productivity. Jonathan Cammack, PhD, Assistant Professor and State Extension Specialist for Livestock Entomology and Parasitology at Oklahoma State University, says producers should monitor the overall health of animals, vigilantly checking them for flies. Ranchers should use as many tools as possible. Fly control products include ear tags, sprays, feed-throughs, dusts, and pour-on products. “As we enter warmer portions of the year, we can be proactive, using some of our chemical control methods,” Cammack reports. To manage flies, producers may add a feed-through Insect Growth Regulator (IGR) product to mineral blocks or feed. The IGR passes through the digestive system and is present in the manure. When flies lay eggs in manure pats, the feed-through chemical kills fly larvae. Cammack also suggests using a treated ear tag to control adult horn flies.

“I recommend feed-through products early in the season before you expect to see horn flies, followed by an ear tag that is a different chemical class than used in the previous year,” Cammack explains. “When fly populations reach 200 flies per animal, it’s time to apply treated ear tags. Use as many tactics as possible, with feed-through IGRs. We’re targeting larval flies and adult flies with ear tags. We’re removing a huge portion of the population from two different angles.” Because flies develop resistance to different chemicals, producers must change chemicals yearly. “If we continually use the same product, an organophosphate ear tag, for example, year after year, we’re eventually selecting for flies that can tolerate exposure to those chemicals,” Cammack warns. “They reproduce, and we have an entire fly population that is no longer susceptible to that compound. For more information, beef producers may consult their veterinarian or extension entomologist.

RICK HUTTON

middle of the pelt’s highest quality area, reducing the hide’s value. “A hot brand’s best and most recom mended location is high on the hip, inboard from the tail head, but not on top of the hook or pin bones,” Olson explains. “When close to the edge of the leather pelt, the brand can be trimmed out without affecting the hide’s value.” Freeze brands do not affect the value of leather. Animals experience discomfort during branding, although afterward, they go about their business. Clint Roof, DVM, Assistant Professor at the Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine, says the most practical option for livestock is using Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs). Commonly available options include Banamine®, Prevail®, meloxicam (oral tablets), and ketoprofen®. Ideally, NSAIDs should be administered a day before branding, although this is not always feasible. “These can be administered before or immediately after branding, but typically only pro vide short-term relief,” Roof explains. “Ideally, NSAIDs would be given for three to five days; this is often imprac tical for producers. Local anesthetics like 2% lidocaine can be used at the branding site for short-term relief, but there is a risk of compromising the brand due to tissue changes.”

ADOBE/YVONNE

54 I APRIL / MAY 2025 WORKING RANCH audited readers run 21 million head of beef cattle.