Flies aren't mere pests; they can be calf killers!

The flies buzzed and bit as husband Bruce, and I rolled out barrels of tasty fruit and vegetable scraps for the cattle. One of the most beleaguered was Creamer. Her nose was black with houseflies, and huge horseflies clung to her neck. A swish of her tail and toss of her head dislodged them for a few seconds, then the bloodsuckers settled in again. It was time to douse the herd with bug spray.

On our farm flies are more of a danger than ticks will ever be. Cattle, unlike horses, people, and dogs, do not contract Lyme disease from ticks. When covered with ticks, cattle can become anemic, but tick danger is small compared to fly danger. The risk is highest when a calf is born, and flies are abundant. Good mother cows lick their newborn calves to dry them, but even if the calf is dry, at night when dew falls, the calf will get wet.
Flies not only pester calves, but they can also cause weight-loss in cattle. Cows covered in flies spend so much of their energy swinging heads, and swishing tails to get rid of the pests they neglect their grazing.
One way to control flies is pasture management. The flies need hosts to thrive and will establish themselves in fields with livestock. Take the cows away, and the flies leave, too. Moving cattle every seven to 10 days to a new pasture will break the fly-cycle and reduce their numbers.

In any case, the best remedy for the summer plague of flies is a bitter-cold New Hampshire winter. My Highland cattle are a breed that hails from Scotland, where summer is not much more than a rumor. Cold weather perks them right up, and freedom from flies is their favorite part!

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Carole Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm, in Loudon, NH, where she raises and sells beef, pork, lamb, eggs and other local products. She can be reached at cas@milessmithfarm.com.