Ferdon sale tops $24,000
Family and solidarity shone through at the 75 years of Ferdon sale in Otorohanga last month.
Weaning, drafting, drenching and shearing create the perfect environment for pneumonia and pleurisy in lambs.
However, some simple management ideas can reduce the risk of these production limiting diseases.
Pneumonia is a disease that causes lesions in the lungs. The most common form is Chronic Non-Progressive Pneumonia which can be caused by bacteria, mycobacteria or viruses.
Symptoms are usually not obvious, although lambs will be slower growing and often pant and cough following exercise.
Lambs with pneumonia are more likely to develop pleurisy, which is where lungs stick to the chest wall. At processing, affected carcasses are downgraded or condemned.
A 2000/2001 study carried out on a database of 1719 farms in Canterbury, Manawatu and Gisborne found the prevalence of pneumonia ranged from 0–100% per flock. But on average, flocks had 24% of lambs affected.
The number of flocks with some pneumonia present ranged from 40–70% – in other words it is very common and costly. Slower growing lambs cost more to feed and then their carcasses are downgraded.
Risk factors include high temperatures and humidity, crowding, stress, dust, excessive exercise, poor ventilation, low immunity and high parasite burdens.
Preventing Pneumonia
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) director general Ray Smith says job cuts announced this morning will not impact the way the Ministry is organised or merge business units.
Scales Corporation is acquiring a number of orchard assets from Bostock Group.
Family and solidarity shone through at the 75 years of Ferdon sale in Otorohanga last month.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has informed staff it will cut 391 jobs following a consultation period.
New Zealand farmers are committed to making their businesses more resilient to climate change and are embracing innovation to help them do so.
Atiamuri farmers Paul and Lesley Grey never gave up their dream of owning their own farm – and in 2020, that dream came true.