Sustainable longhorned tick management for pastured livestock in a forage based system

Commodities

Practices

Our project titled “Sustainable longhorned tick management for pastured livestock in a forage based system” is designed to determine whether longhorned ticks (Haemaphysalis longicornis; LTs) can survive in stored forages to inform integrated pest management (IPM) options for tick infested pastures and the risk of tick introduction via movement of LT-infested forages. LTs were first recognized in the U.S. in 2017 but may have been introduced as early as 2010, and likely on multiple occasions. LTs have now colonized 19 states and their ongoing spread presents an emerging threat to the livestock industry in the North Central Region. LTs are associated with decreased production and growth, damaged hides, abortions or stillbirths, and death from severe anemia. Heavy LT infestations could force some producers to leave the livestock industry, either out of financial ruin or frustration with recurrent infestations, and small-scale producers will likely be disproportionately affected.

Reducing tick habitat by mowing pastures is currently recommended for the prevention and control of ticks, sometimes alongside host or area-wide insecticide applications. A combination of monthly mowing, well-timed annual insecticide usage, and frequent mechanical removal of ticks has been shown to significantly reduce, but not eliminate, LTs in subsequent years. This approach is clearly labor- and resource-intensive, especially as a long-term maintenance strategy, and can result in substantial negative financial and environmental impacts. Mowing also reduces the feed materials available to livestock which causes feeding stress, reduced nutrition, and the need for supplementation. Ultimately, the affordability and feasibility of an IPM strategy will dictate whether producers implement it. There is an urgent need to develop an effective, sustainable, and practical IPM strategy for LTs in livestock production.

We propose to investigate whether preservation of stored forage is a viable alternative to mowing by evaluating the survival of LTs in stored forages. Survival trials will involve two types of stored forages selected with producer input that are opened after both short-term and long-term storage. Within these bales, bags of LTs will be strategically placed to evaluate whether survival varies across the bale. Our conclusions about LT survival at different places within bales, in different types of stored forages, and under different storage durations will be combined with the findings of other recent studies to create a revised IPM strategy for LTs in agricultural settings. This information will be shared with stakeholders through a multifaceted outreach program.

Our objectives are to (1) evaluate survival of LTs under two commonly used feed storage practices, and (2) incorporate results into a robust education and outreach program on IPM strategies for LTs. The target audience is cattle producers and those that grow forage for cattle.

• Learning outcome: Cattle producers learn the various options for prevention and control of LTs on cattle and in the environment as part of an IPM approach.
• Action outcome: Cattle producers design and implement an IPM strategy that is suitable for their operation.
• Condition change outcome: Cattle producers are effectively, economically, and sustainably controlling LTs.