The current state of gastrointestinal parasitism in organic beef cattle in the Maritimes

GRAVES, MARGARET; FERNÁNDEZ, ALICIA SILVINA; HAMMERMEISTER, ANDREW

Conferencia; 26th Annual Organic Agricultural Conference; 2007

Gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) of cattle are among the most economically damaging parasites around the world. Although the epidemiology of GIN has been investigated elsewhere, there is a lack of data pertaining to the Maritime region and especially to organic systems. This descriptive study characterizes the GIN levels of infection in firstyear grazing organic beef calves on pasture, showing the patterns and interactions between these two parameters. Calves on four organic farms, three in New Brunswick and one in Nova Scotia, were used in the study during the 2006 grazing season. Faecal samples were taken monthly from 10 randomly selected calves and used for faecal egg counts (FEC) and identification of infective larvae (L3). Forage samples were taken monthly in order to recover, count and identify L3 on pasture. The FEC showed patterns of infection levels in calves and the pasture contamination rate, while the L3 on forage showed the pasture infectivity curve. Peaks in FEC occurred early in the season, while pasture infectivity was highest towards the end. Variations in these two parameters between farms were primarily due to different management practices. GIN was found at subclinical levels and showed similar patterns in organic cattle as in conventional herds.