I look in on a couple of internet discussion forums just to see what status quo producers are thinking and doing. Over the weekend, one discussion group started a thread on “Fly Control.” Really? That seems a little early. I usually don’t hear much talk about fly problems until May – when it quickly becomes the hottest topic within the beef industry.
Without exception, these discussions focus on controlling flies with toxic chemicals. Toxic chemicals, unfortunately, kill the good bugs along with the bad bugs. There has never been a chemical to control horn flies that the flies have not built some resistance to. As a result, the horn fly problem has done nothing but get worse for the last 80 years.
The only way to truly solve fly problems is through genetics. Prior to the creation of the first toxic chemicals 80 years ago, nearly all cattle had a natural, bred-in resistance to horn flies and other parasites. Those that did not have a natural resistance did not pass on their inferior genetics. That’s what we call survival of the fittest – and it still works!
While other bull producers continue to treat the symptoms of the horn fly problem with toxic chemicals, Pharo Cattle Company® is helping you solve the problem with genetics – and it is working! PCC-influenced cattle have much fewer flies than mainstream cattle. We have been working on this for over 20 years.
All the bulls in our Texas and Missouri bull sales have been evaluated and scored for genetic fly resistance. You can use our unique Quick Sort program to sort for fly resistance. A whopping 94% have 4-star or better fly resistance. Since the heritability of fly resistance is very high, this is something you can improve dramatically in a short period of time.
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