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Tick distribution and abundance on pastures & cattle

 

Project Details

  • Project Lead: Kateryn Rochon, University of Manitoba

  • Collaborators: Neil Chilton, University of Saskatchewan

  • Years: 2021-2022

  • Project Status: Complete

  • Funding & In-Kind Support: Manitoba Beef Producers, Mitacs, Association of Manitoba Community Pastures, participating beef producers, Canadian Agricultural Partnership, Manitoba Beef & Forage Initiatives

  • Location: Brookdale Farm, First Street Pasture

  • Scope: Research

  • Keywords: Livestock Pest Management, Grazing Management, Smart Ag

Approach

Previous work demonstrated the changing geographic distribution of American Dog Ticks and Rocky Mountain Wood Ticks. As both tick species can transmit Bovine Anaplasmosis, this project was designed to explore tick distribution on a pasture scale. Can areas of a pasture be identified, based on habitat and site characteristics, to have higher risk for ticks? Using this information, producers could manage their cattle and pastures to avoid areas with high density of ticks, thereby lowering the risk for Bovine Anaplasmosis.

Three sites, including MBFI, were monitored for tick distribution and abundance on pasture and on the cows. Several GPS collars were used for each group to monitor distribution of cattle in a pasture.

For More Information

  • Please contact Dr. Kateryn Rochon

  • Lysyk TJ, Dergousoff SJ, Rochon K, Chilton NB, Smith AM. Distribution of Dermacentor andersoni (Acari: Ixodidae) in Grassland Regions of Alberta, Canada, Journal of Medical Entomology, Volume 58, Issue 4, July 2021, Pages 1750–1761, https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjab019

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