- Author: Dan Macon
Legal restrictions and public perception regarding lethal predator control make nonlethal livestock protection tools critical for ranchers and small-scale livestock owners alike. Equally as important, many producers (myself included) emphasize co-existence – part of what I enjoy about grazing sheep in our foothill rangelands is the opportunity to be around wildlife. For those of us who cannot be with our livestock around the clock (that would include most of us, I presume!), these tools can also offer peace of mind.
Over the next several months, my Ranching in the Sierra Foothills blog will highlight information from a forthcoming UC publication on livestock protection tools. These blog posts, which reflect both research-based knowledge and real-world experience, are intended to help ranchers and small-scale livestock owners evaluate the types of tools that may fit their site-specific needs. In this post, I'll briefly describe two of the tools that we use in our pasture-based sheep operation near Auburn.
Livestock Guardian Animals: Dogs, donkeys, and llamas are the most commonly used guardian animals. Research (and
Temporary Electric Fencing: Fences can either be physical barriers (like field fencing) or psychological barriers (like electric fencing). In my experiences, few (if any) fences are 100 percent effective. An adult coyote can squeeze through a 4”x6” opening; a mountain lion can scale a 6-foot fence. In our sheep operation, we've had good success using 42” electro-net fencing. These fences, which come in 164-foot sections, feature electrified horizontal poly wires and plastic stays between posts. We use battery powered fence energizers, and I should note that these electro-nets take significantly more power than smooth-wire electric fences (I like to have at least 0.25 joules per net – in other words, a 3-joule energizer is needed to power 12 sections of fence). Research in Montana suggests that electro-net can significantly reduce coyote intrusion into paddocks (Matchett et al. 2013). While I've seen a coyote jump my electro-net fencing while I was building a paddock, I've never observed a coyote inside a paddock once it was electrified (in more than a dozen years of using electro-net fencing extensively).
Obviously, these (and other) livestock protection tools have costs associated with them. Ranchers – and small-scale livestock owners – must compare the costs of these tools with the protection benefits. Costs are easy to tally; benefits are more challenging – after all, how can I measure the number of livestock NOT killed by predators. That said, site- and operation-specific combinations of these tools seem to prevent direct losses, and may reduce indirect impacts in some production systems as well (Stone et al. 2017).
In my next post, I'll discuss several more livestock protection tools, including attractant removal, night penning and alarm/scare devices. I hope other producers will share their experiences with livestock protection tools, as well! In the meantime, be sure to check out the Livestock-Predator Information Hub at http://rangelands.ucdavis.edu/predator-hub/.
References
Andelt WF. (2004). Use of livestock guarding dogs for reducing predation on domestic sheep. Wildlife Society Bulletin. 20:55-62.
Breck S. (2004). Minimizing carnivore-livestock conflict: the importance and process of research in the search for coexistence. In N Fascione A Delach ME Smith (Eds.), People and Predators: From Conflict to Coexistence. (13-27). Washington, DC: Island Press.
Gehring T et al. (2010a). Utility of livestock-protection dogs for deterring wildlife from cattle farmers. USDA National Wildlife Research Center – Staff Publications. Paper 1344. (Available at http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2342&context=icwdm_usdanwrc).
Matchett MR Breck SW and Callon J. (2013). Efficacy of electronet fencing for excluding coyotes: a case study for enhancing production of black-footed ferrets. USDA National Wildlife Research Center – Staff Publications. Paper 1522.
Ramler J et al. (2014). Crying wolf? A spatial analysis of wolf location and depredations on calf weight. American Journal of Agricultural Economics. 96(3):631-656.
Stone SA et al. (2017). Adaptive use of nonlethal strategies for minimizing wolf-sheep conflict in Idaho. Journal of Mammalogy. 98(1):33-44.
- Author: Dan Macon
Happy Thanksgiving! The next issue of The New Foothill Rancher won't come out until early 2018, but I wanted to make sure producers are aware of several workshops and important meetings coming up in the next several months.
PNSSNS Subwatershed Group Special Board Meeting - November 29 - 9:00 a.m.
Western Placer Waste Management Authority, 3033 Fiddyment Rd, Roseville, CA
PNSSNS recently decided to terminate its membership in the Sacramento Valley Water Quality Coalition and file its own Notice of Applicability with the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (CVRWQCB) to provide coverage under the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program (ILRP). Recent correspondence from CVRWQCB suggests that this process may be lengthy and raises questions about whether growers will have coverage in the interim. The PNSSNS board will discuss options and answer member questions at this meeting. PLEASE PLAN TO ATTEND!
Farmer-to-Farmer Breakfast and Livestock/Crop Insurance Workshop - December 7 - 8:00 a.m.
UCCE-Auburn, 11477 E Ave, Auburn, CA
Come to the UCCE office, share a home-cooked breakfast, and network with other local farmers and ranchers! We'll have a speaker on Whole Farm Revenue Protection and a variety of livestock insurance products. Cost is $10/person. Please RSVP at http://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=22158
Farm Business Planning Short Course - January 25 thru March 1, 2018 (plus Saturday, Feb 3)
UCCE-Auburn, 11477 E Ave, Auburn, CA
This 7-session short course (Thursday evenings plus one Saturday) is designed to help farm and ranch businesses that have been in business for at least one year. We'll cover farm/ranch economics, cash flow management, operations and continuity planning, risk management, and marketing strategies. The course is limited to 8 operations, which allows participants to dig deeply into their business management and planning questions. The cost is $50/operation. Apply for this year's short course at http://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=22357.
Be sure to check my Livestock and Natural Resources website for updates and additional information - http://ucanr.edu/sites/Livestock/. You can also check in on the Foothill Sustainable Ranching Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/FoothillSustainableRanching/. If you have questions about these meetings/courses, please contact me at dmacon@ucanr.edu or (530) 889-7385.
- Author: Dan Macon
What does all of this mean for producers? First, it means that you'll need to be sure you are working closely with your veterinarian. For a valid VCPR, your veterinarian needs to know and see your operation. According to the VCPR regulation, “The veterinarian [must have] sufficient knowledge of the animal(s) to initiate at least a general or preliminary diagnosis of the medical condition of the animal(s). This means that the veterinarian is personally acquainted with the care of the animal(s) by virtue of an examination of the animal or by medically appropriate and timely visits to the premises where the animals are kept.”
In anticipation of the new law, you may want to consider having your vet out to your operation to update this relationship. At that point, he or she may be able write you a prescription (or a VFD) for specific products (like LA-200, for example) to treat a specific range of conditions. Your veterinarian needs to know that you know how to identify particular illnesses (like respiratory infection) and safely administer the antibiotic according to label and prescription instructions.
Second, you should check in with your feed store or other pharmaceutical supplier to make sure they'll still offer the antibiotics you've been using. In order to sell pharmaceutical products that require a prescription, a feed store will need to be a licensed veterinary food-animal drug retailer. Some suppliers have indicated that they are uncertain about the new requirements; you can point them towards the resources in the links below.
Third, take some time to educate yourself about antibiotic stewardship. As livestock producers, all of us have a responsibility to ensure that these products remain effective and available. Make a habit of reading label instructions and documenting your use of these products – this is simply sound management (regardless of the legal requirement).
Finally, this new law doesn't affect vaccines – you'll still have access to the over-the-counter vaccines you've been using. Once again, you should consult with your veterinarian; vaccination programs may become all the more important in this new regulatory environment.
Here are some links for more information (including a list of medically important antibiotics that will require a prescription after the first of the year):
California Department of Food and Agriculture Antimicrobial Use and Stewardship website
Distinguishing Between US and CA Antibiotic Laws (flowchart)
Drug List – Prescription Required in California
Veterinary Food-Animal Drug Retailer License Requirements
Find a Veterinary Food-Animal Drug Retailer
Economic Consequences of New Federal and State Regulations to Limit Antibiotic Use in Livestock – by Dr. Tina Saitone (Cooperative Extension Specialist in Livestock and Rangeland Economics)
Beef Quality Assurance – Antibiotic Stewardship for Beef Producers
- Author: Dan Macon
I realized last weekend that I hadn't posted any updates to my Livestock Guardian Dog journal for some time. Elko, our new pup, is growing quickly - and his behavior is evolving, too. As you might recall, we'd placed Elko in a paddock with an older ewe and several ewe lambs. One of the older ewe lambs had apparently decided Elko was her lamb, which was intimidating for the pup. At the same time, Elko had taken to trying to play with the younger ewe lambs. We decided that we needed to move him - both for his safety and comfort, and to help him understand that he shouldn't play with the sheep. We put him in a smaller paddock with two of our rams, which seemed to help. He's more respectful of the sheep, but the rams don't intimidate him like the ewe lamb did. We'll keep monitoring his behavior - he may go to the ranch to live with our entire ram battery once we separate them from the ewes. We'll also consider putting him with one of the older dogs for a few weeks (with sheep).
On Saturday, I also had a chance to observe some interesting behavior with our older dogs. We combined breeding groups last week, so both dogs are in the same paddock at the moment. Reno, who is approaching 10 years of age, is a neutered Anatolian male. Bodie, who will be 2 early next year, is an intact Anatolian-Maremma cross.
On several occasions in the past, Reno has killed raccoons that come into his paddock. If you've been around raccoons, you'll know that they can be fairly vicious - most dogs give them a wide berth. We always keep an eye on Reno after we find a raccoon to make sure he doesn't develop infections from bites. On Saturday morning after I fed the dogs, they both trotted to the far end of the 3 acre paddock and began barking at something in a small tangle of blackberries. As I approached, I realized that whatever it was they had cornered was snarling and defending itself.
Here's a video of what transpired:
I made several observations:
- Reno is definitely still the alpha dog in this group. He took the lead in investigating and challenging the intruder to the paddock.
- The sheep responded to the alarm raised by the dogs. Whether it was because they didn't like the barking or because they knew the dogs were communicating that there was an intruder, they decided to move away from the commotion.
- Once I decided to move the sheep into a new paddock (to allow the intruder to escape - if you've watched the video, you'll know why), the dogs both decided to stay with the sheep rather than continue to try to get at the intruder. However, both dogs remained focused on the blackberry patch on the other side of the fence).
The literature I've read suggests that livestock guardian dogs may fill the ecological niche typically filled by wild canids in our environment (mostly coyotes in the foothills). The behavior I observed last weekend would fit this hypothesis, I think. Over the course of the next several months, I'll be using game cameras and GPS collars on both sheep and dogs to test this idea further - stay tuned!
- Author: Dan Macon
Keeping track of production records, income and expenses, grazing use, and other key information is an important function for any ranching business. These records provide critical information for decision-making and operational planning. As I've realized recently, they can also provide essential documentation in case something happens to me. My family - and others involved in our sheep operation - could use these records to pick up my work if I somehow become incapacitated.
Record-keeping requires discipline - for me, this means recording activities and expenses when they occur (I find that I'm easily distracted - if I don't record these things immediately, I forget them). I've tried handwritten journals with limited success - we keep and handwritten journal during lambing to record each lamb's birth, but I have never been good about recording other day-to-day activities in this manner. Usually, the diary gets left in the truck or on my desk at home - and eventually it's forgotten or misplaced.
Several years ago, I decided that my smart phone might offer a more readily available method for recording these activities - after all, I have my phone with me at all times (not always a good thing, but helpful in this case). Smart phones also have the ability to take photographs, which can aid in recording detailed information. After several attempts at using journaling apps that my family and my partner could also use, we decided to create a "secret group" on Facebook. With a secret group, only members of the group can access and post information - and those of us in the group control this access. Nobody else knows about it or sees it on their feed. Since it's Facebook, we can post as many photos as we need to. We can search for specific terms or dates. We can post photos with the serial number and expiration date of the vaccines we use. And each of us can see what the other members of the group have posted.
Ours is not the perfect system - I sometimes worry whether anything in the cloud is truly private. But it does help me be more disciplined about recording my activities. It has provided a detailed record of where the sheep are, what we're doing with them, and what kinds of financial transactions we're making. The combination of photographic and written records is useful for comparing forage conditions and sheep management from one year to the next. For us, it's become a virtual day book that everyone involved in our business can contribute to and see.