Talking Ticks & Bovine Anaplasmosis with Dr. Kateryn Rochon

In this episode, you will meet Dr. Kateryn Rochon.

Kateryn is an associate professor of Veterinary and Wildlife Entomology at the University of Manitoba. Her research program is focused on insects and ticks as vectors of livestock and wildlife pathogens. Before joining the Department of Entomology in 2012, Kateryn was a postdoctoral fellow at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Lethbridge, where she worked on Rocky Mountain wood ticks. Past research includes work on flies and their ability to transmit bacteria and viruses in cattle, swine, and poultry operations. Currently, her research has an emphasis on the distribution and ecology of American dog ticks and blacklegged ticks, but she’s hopeful to get back into other bitey things like flies, lice and mites in the near future.

In this episode, we discuss all things ticks. Kateryn is currently working on a project that is assessing the relationship between tick abundance on pastures and cattle, and the risk ticks represent to cattle and livestock workers.  For this project, MBFI’s pastures are 2 of 4 sites that are being sampled for ticks.  Kateryn shares how sampling is carried out for the cattle, horses and humans in this study, as well as what the collected ticks are tested for after collection.  

We also have an in depth chat about bovine anaplasmosis, what it is, what to look for and why it can be a threat if it enters your herd. 

Kateryn shares her involvement with the eTick program and how this app can benefit both producers and the general public. 

To wrap up the episode, Kateryn and I discuss how all of this information can assist producers during their grazing planning in order to reduce the risk of tick pressure and anaplasmosis in the herd and protection strategies for producers themselves.

For more information or to read the articles discussed in the episode please visit: 

Cattle Country Magazine, May 2021 - Anaplasmosis in Beef Cattle - new cases found in Manitoba, Glen Duizer https://issuu.com/manitobabeefproducers/docs/cattle_country_may_2021_final_lr 

Cattle Country Magazine, September 2019 - Ticks and bovine anaplasmosis - mapping the risk, Christine Rawluk

https://issuu.com/manitobabeefproducers/docs/2019_binder_bb03f92afae9c9 

We encourage you to follow MBFI on social media, or check out the website for more information on project findings and results, upcoming events and more!

Instagram: @MBBeefandForage

Facebook: @MBBeefandForage

Twitter: @MBBeefandForage

Website: www.mbfi.ca 

Email address: information@mbfi.ca 

Upcoming Grazing Workshop Series Dates:

• July 6th - Health Check your pastures and soils
• August 3rd - Diversify your grazing 
• Register at www.mbfi.ca/registration 

Thank you to Manitoba Beef Producers and Manitoba Agriculture for your funding towards the project.  Visit their websites at:

Manitoba Beef Producers

https://mbbeef.ca/producers/ or visit them on Twitter @ManitobaBeef

Manitoba Agriculture

https://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/ or visit them on Twitter @MBGovAg  

The research programs and daily operations at MBFI would not be possible without the funding from the Province of Manitoba, Government of Canada and Canadian Agricultural Partnership, as well as the partnership with Manitoba Agriculture, Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP), Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association (MFGA).