Casual Cattle Conversations is the podcast for beef cattle producers and ranchers to explore new ideas and hear stories that will help them improve their current management practices. Shaye Koester - Wanner connects listeners to other cattle producers and beef industry experts to discover what management practices, industry trends, current events and inspiring stories are impacting today’s beef cattle industry.
Episodes
Monday Apr 13, 2026
Monday Apr 13, 2026
Today, Shaye welcomes Jonathan Wells of the Cargill Animal Nutrition Team to discuss fly control strategies for pasture cattle, focusing on horn flies’ economic impact and how to choose tools for an operation. Wells says horn flies drive about $2 billion in annual losses and can spread diseases like mastitis and anaplasmosis while reducing performance through increased heart rate, higher water intake and urinary nutrient loss, reduced nitrogen retention, and about a 15% drop in average daily gain.
They compare adult-killing topicals and ear tags (and resistance concerns) with feed-through IGRs like Altosid (methoprene) that break the fly life cycle in manure. Wells explains the Altosid XRB extended-release bolus, given once at season start and releasing IGR for about 195 days, dosing guidance for cows and calves, application tips, compatibility with other controls, and visual signs of adequate control.
Learn more about Cargill here: https://bit.ly/4e1qygS
01:33 Why Fly Control Matters
03:12 Hidden Performance Losses
05:04 Fly Control Options
07:24 Breaking The Fly Cycle
08:24 Altosid XRB Bolus
10:57 Bolus Release Science
12:27 Dosing Cows And Calves
14:08 Safety And Application Tips
18:17 How To Judge Control
20:36 Producer Field Experience
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