A small, ruminant-specific parasite has been ravaging the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank’s grasslands and goat herd over the past few years, and is now forcing the organization to hit pause on the program.
It’s unclear how many goats have died from the parasite, but the Land Bank hopes to auction off the remaining more than 150 goats by early November.
After exhausting all forms of treatment, the organization’s veterinarian, Dr. Erin Masur, has advised the Land Bank to refrain from using grazing goats on Land Bank properties for 18 to 24 months, to provide ample time for the parasite in the grasslands to die out naturally.
In the interim, herd manager Winston Bell has made a proposal to the Land Bank Commission recommending the purchasing of 25 to 30 pineywoods cattle to better serve the Land Bank’s management goals.
“Over the past four months, we, the Land Bank staff, have had many difficult conversations about the future of our aging goat herd,” wrote Bell in a proposal to the Land Bank Commission. “During this time we have regularly consulted with our veterinarian, Dr. Erin Masur. We have concluded that it is now necessary to begin phasing out our current goat herd in order to begin what we are proposing as a two-year rebuilding plan.”
The herd, numbering 140 goats in 2021, has grown to 168, despite significant losses from parasites.
“It’s difficult to know how many of the herd have died from the parasite; we can’t run autopsies on every goat that died, because a lot of goats do still die of old age,” said Bell.
The parasite that has hit the herd — which is consumed by grazing goats — has developed a near total resistance to anthelmintic treatments, which staff began to notice in 2022. Although the dewormer treatment is initially effective against the parasite, after multiple treatments, the few parasites that do survive the initial deworming treatments reproduce increasingly resistant offspring.
Bell said that the goats will be auctioned off with full transparency of their potential conditions. While the Land Bank’s goal is to find suitable homes for as many as possible, it’s recognized that not all buyers may use them for grazing or land management.
“Full transparency,” said Bell. “It’s a livestock auction; some goats could be bought and used for meat.”
The goat herd was introduced in 2013 to manage invasive species, combat woody vegetation that encroaches on grassland ecosystems, and maintain historic reservations. However, the Land Bank’s management plans have changed since then. And the pineywoods cattle may be more effective in serving the Land Bank’s management goals, because most ruminant parasites cannot survive the gut of a cow; unlike most cattle breeds, pineywoods thrive on woody vegetation and minimal grass, making them ideal to both maintain the Land Bank’s existing grasslands and convert the forest land into grassland.
Pineywoods cattle were first brought to America by the Spanish in the 1500s, and after four centuries of natural selection, they have developed into one of the most heat-tolerant, parasite- and disease-resistant breeds in the world.
Over the next two years, Land Bank officials plan to develop a longer-term proposal for herd makeup, with consideration to a mixed herd of cattle and goats or cattle and sheep in the future.
“It is really sad that we have to say goodbye to all these goats, but it’s what needs to happen, and I think it’s better for the ag. community at large on the Island,” said Bell.
In order to prevent similar health issues in the future, the Land Bank aims to have a strict age cutoff for the goats, auctioning off any of the herd that reach 4 years of age and consistently bringing in strong new genetics through artificial insemination. They also aim to prioritize genetics with high parasitic resistances and heat tolerance, use dewormers more sparingly, and leave 10 to 30 percent of the herd completely untreated, to promote natural resistance.
The format of the upcoming goat auction is still undecided, though previous auctions have been listed on the Land Bank’s website, where anyone interested could inquire about purchasing. If the auction does not result in the sale of the entire herd, Bell will propose a contingency plan, requesting that the remaining goats are able to stay on Land Bank property until they pass away naturally.
Another option is to use mechanical means to clear the land. It’s worked well for over a century.
John– various species of domesticated animals
have been used to clear land for thousands of years.
it has worked well. It worked so well that herder’s did not have
to put chemical fertilizers on their fields that put too
much nitrogen and poisonous compounds
into the local rivers that created “dead zones” in the delta areas
when they reached the sea. They never sprayed
pesticides that killed bees and other beneficial insects
or caused cancer in their children.They fed their families with
the meat from these animals at the end of their lives , gave milk and
cheeses to their children , and provided textiles to clothe the people
of their communities.
On the other hand, modern “mechanical means” have polluted the air, the water and the
“audio environment “. Sorry John, you are way off of the mark about this issue.
If these parasites are present in the goats; wouldn’t spreading them around the island spread the parasites and pose a threat to healthy animals for generations to come?
As a goat owner I am interested in what parasite specifically you are contending with? Sorry to hear all this, it is hard to see our goat buddies fall ill. The wet weather and consequent parasite growth was hard on goat herds all over the east from Florida to Maine this year.
This is so sad.
I wonder what the actual parasite is. My eldest has a herd. One of the things that comes to mind is: If some of the goats are sold to butcher, what kind of residual medications might be in the meat?
Yes, as someone involved in goat parasitology, I’d be interested to know the identity of the parasite e.g. Haemonchus contortus? I assume they have become resistant to dewormer chemicals?
Dear Land Bank, please tell us what kind of parasite/parasites, and what kinds of chemical pharmaceuticals were used. I know it may seem to the Land Bank that the public would not be interested in these facts, however many of us are. Personally, I have paid two Land Bank fees, albeit for very modest homes. Shouldn’t this information be revealed to the people who make the Land Bank possible? Especially when they have goat herds in their families. Thank you.
We dont need to go back to the 18th century. Pesticides and Herbicides have compounded agricultural progress as has Mechanical equipment. All used safely and tested and approved by EPA and FDA and all the rest of the regulatory agencies for years. Now all of a sudden all of this stuff is dangerous to amateur diagnosticians and hysterians(is there such a word) In year 1900 the average life expectancy for a newborn was 32 years. I was told the other day mine is 93 and I have caught all manner of diseases due to my living in the Middle East. Flailing about and mentioning cancer in babies and poisonous compounds shows a complete lack of balance. Yes we have occasional problems but the world is safer and better and richer due to technology fossil fuels and medicines than ever. Although we still suffer from looney liberals all around us.
EPA and FDA and all the rest of the regulatory agencies for years . . . .
Trust the science ….
Hess, the science that Fauci offered us turned out to be false. Science is developed by people and many have an agenda. Telling us to ”trust the science” is puerile.
What is the parasite and are other animals and / or people vulnerable thereto?
5 of these comments ask what parasite/parasites the goats have, and related questions. No answer from the Land Bank, William Bell, the herd manager, or Dr. Erin Masur, the veterinarian. The Land Bank fees that Islanders pay, when transacting real estate, pays at least part of the salaries of these individuals. Perhaps there is grant money too? (From my experience, with a goat herd and a horse herd in the family, there is probably no danger to those walking on Land Bank properties. It might be wise to not walk barefoot though.) Meanwhile, how about an answer for the goat fans out here? It will be sad not to see the goat party at Mae Fane. If anyone cares to know, goats are probably the oldest domesticated species.
I also wondered about those salaries. There’s a vet to pay too, and i wondered if the LB had their own vet, when vet care for islanders’ pets is so limited for new residents. Salaries for herd managers, insemination costs, etc, paid for by the public’s 2% tax on home purchases, could go to human landscapers and others needing work. Doesn’t the LB also provide housing for their employees?
The land bank needs to inform the public about these worms, especially if they’re planning on releasing likely infected goats into the island’s other properties via auctions.
So, who’s going to buy one of these auctioned goats for meat? It may have extra protein, getting a real bang for your buck.
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