North – Tom Woolacott
Recently I have carried out a number of annual herd health plan updates and performance reviews. These were the first “Synergy” reviews for many of the Glastonbury clients. It has been beneficial from a vet’s perspective to gain a thorough understanding of farm enterprise priorities and decisions.
Despite being necessary to comply with farm assurance standards, a herd/flock health plan provides an excellent opportunity to monitor and progress for all holdings. With the arrival of September, now is the time to begin considering the challenges of autumn and winter, particularly calf respiratory disease. Implementing preventative measures promptly will pay dividends in reducing case numbers and maximising growth rates. Please do contact reception or speak with your routine vet if you encounter such seasonal challenges.
I wish those autumn-block herds in the thick of calving every success – here’s one I made earlier!
East – Claire Rudd
Let the PDs begin! September marks the start of a large number of scanning visits in our region. It’s important to identify any PD negative cows before winter, when planning ahead for feeding – barren cows are a drain on resources. The PD session is also an ideal time to condition score beef cattle to assess how they have fared over the summer and to make informed management decisions well in advance of calving.
The warmer weather earlier this year saw a lot of Haemonchus outbreaks in ewes and lambs. This parasite can have disastrous effects with little warning. We have a huge amount of sheep expertise within Synergy so please do contact us if you would like advise on parasite control. We have recently welcomed our new sheep resident Emily Frazer to the team. Emily brings a wealth of experience and is keen to work with our East flocks.
As many of you know Nim has taken a sabbatical to work in New Zealand for a few months. As of now she is likely elbow deep in spring calving! We look forward to welcoming her back in April and hearing all about life in the southern hemisphere.
West – Imogen Rogers
Following a hand injury, I’ve been off clinical duties for a little while recently, but I’m really looking forward to getting back to it soon. I love the autumn, as it is the time of the year where Team Sheep talk lots about preparing teasers and rams for the tupping season ahead. What’s the saying ‘By failing to prepare, you’re preparing to fail’? For example, there is little use in checking over your rams for the first time the day they are meant to start breeding. Plan ahead and take a good look at them now, considering the 5 Ts of Ram MOTs – toes, teeth, testicles, tone and treat. If your examinations do show any issues, then there will still be plenty of time to buy and isolate a new ram. Don’t be tempted to skip the isolation part, as we are certainly seeing enough Scab here in the West region!! As always, Team Sheep are here for your queries, so do get in touch if you need further guidance or advice.
Central – Tom Shardlow
At the time of writing the hot spells that we had in mid and late July are well and truly behind us in the Central Region, with plenty of rain and cooler weather. Driving round I’ve noticed that maize crops really took off in height a few weeks ago after a very slow start at the beginning of the season. A lot of dairies have been performing really well recently with respect to yields and fertility, but it will be interesting to see if there are any knock-on effects from the temperature spikes that we’ve had. Often heat stress doesn’t affect preg rate until a couple of months down the line. We’ve recently welcomed back Megan Rowe to our vet team. Meg completed her internship with us in June and joins the central and east teams.
Lympstone – Charlotte Leppard-Pedula
As we approach autumn, lots of our farmers will be gearing up for a busy couple of months. Now is a good time to revisit your colostrum protocols, and make sure everyone who is involved with the calves are on the same page. The 4 Qs are a great way to remember things- Quality, Quantity, Quickly, and sQueaky clean! If you have any questions or would like to create an individualised colostrum protocol for your farm, then your vet will be happy to help. Finally, it’s coming up to a year since moving to Devon and starting work as a farm vet! I want to thank all my colleagues, and our wonderful farmers for being so welcoming, and always willing to teach. It’s been a great first year, and I’m looking forward to many more!
