Animals Continued from Page 15
Healthy adult sheep and goats should receive an annual CD&T or C&D + T vac- cinationevery year. That canprotect them against deadly tetanus infections and enterotoxemia, or overeating, in which bacteria normally found in the animals’ gastrointestinal tracts rapidly reproduce, generating large quantities of toxins. As those bacterial organisms grow in number, potent toxins known as Clostridium perfringens types C & D can cause damage to the intestines and numerous other organs. Busch advised developing an annual schedule in consultation with a veteri- narian that includes when the animals will be assembled and can efficiently be vaccinated. “When we think about herd health programs, we’re thinking about total sheepmanagement,” she said. “Develop an annual plan in consultation with your vet.” The annual calendar of care includes times when the herd will be gathered and may be easily vaccinated. A typical time for adults could be during a January pre-lambing inspection, but the new- borns must wait a while. Most of theonline seminarwasdevoted to care of young lambs and goats, which require special protection, because they are vulnerable topathogens forwhich the adults have developed immunity. “Lambs shouldn’t be receivingvaccines
Sheep and lambs forage at a farm in Yolo County. The animals require annual vaccina- tions to safeguard against dangerous bacterial infections.
before three weeks,” Busch said. One precaution to protect these vul- nerable animals is to enter the barn from the side of the lambs first to avoid carry- ing pathogens from the adults to these susceptible newborns, she said. Another step is to screen incoming an- imals for diseases not already known to be in the flock, and to use isolation pens when in doubt. Barn and pen sanitation are essential parts of a health program, as are stock- ing and grazing rates that give the an- imals healthy food and enough room.
The quality of feed is another import- ant way to promote healthy sheep and goats, both adults and newborns. Lungs of sheep and goats are sus- ceptible to scarring and pneumonia, Busch said. Goodnutrition is essential for healthof the animals, whether they arepasturedor eat feed grown and harvested elsewhere. Macon’s animals are pastured, which means he must be ready to adjust to changes theweather or the seasons cause in the quality of the forage. “We canmanage dry pasture by adding
some protein to the diet,” he said. Macon saves his highest quality forage for his lambs, which aremost vulnerable to diseases. Langston University, home to the American Institute for Goat Research, offers training materials on protecting animal health. The information, which can be found at luresext.edu, includes an instructional video on evaluating the health of dairy goats. ( Bo b J o hn s o n i s a r e p o r t e r i n Monterey County. He may be contacted at bjohn11135@gmail.com.)
CIMIS REPORT | www.cimis.water.ca.gov
CALIFORNIA IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM
For the week February 10 - February 16, 2022
ETO (INCHES/WEEK)
YEAR
3.0
THIS YEAR
2.5
LAST YEAR AVERAGE YEAR
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
MACDOEL II (236)
BIGGS (244)
DAVIS (06)
MANTECA (70)
FRESNO (80)
SALINAS-SOUTH (214)
FIVE POINTS (2)
SHAFTER (5)
TEMECULA (62)
IMPERIAL (87)
THIS YEAR LAST YEAR AVG. YEAR % FROM AVG.
.59 .30 .42 35
.57 .41 .56 4
.88 .66 .55 60
.83 .62 .55 53
.74 .48 .47 56
.88 .46 .49 81
.76 .50 .48 63
.94 .49 .58 63
1.02 .36 .63 56
1.12 .94 .80 39
W eekly reference evapotranspiration (ETo) is the rate of water use (evapotranspiration—the sum of soil evaporation and crop transpiration) for healthy pasture grass. Multiplying ETo by the appropriate “crop coefficient” gives estimates of the ET for other crops. For example, assume ETo on June 15 is 0.267 inches and the crop coefficient for corn on that day is 1.1. Multiplying ETo by the coefficient (0.26 inches x 1.1) results in a corn ET of 0.29 inches. This
information is useful in determining the amount and timing of irriga- tion water. Contact Richard Snyder, UC Davis, for information on coefficients, 530-752-4628. The 10 graphs provide weekly ETo rates for selected areas for average year, last year and this year. The ETo information is provided by the California Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS) of the California Department of Water Resources.
For information contact the DWR district office or DWR state headquarters:
SACRAMENTO HEADQUARTERS: 916-651-9679 • 916-651-7218
NORTHERN REGION: Red Bluff 530-529-7301
NORTH CENTRAL REGION: West Sacramento 916-376-9630
SOUTH CENTRAL REGION:
SOUTHERN REGION:
Fresno 559-230-3334
Glendale 818-500-1645 x247 or x243
16 Ag Alert February 23, 2022
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