Live FAMACHA© Online Training was a huge success!
Photo demonstrating use of the FAMACHA card.
In the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic, extension specialists are reaching and meeting the needs of our clientele in new ways, even when training sessions require hands-on demonstration of learned skills. On April 9, small ruminant experts, Dr. Dahlia O’Brien, extension specialist at Virginia State University (VSU) and Dr. Niki Whitley, extension specialist at Fort Valley State University (FVSU), hosted a live Small Ruminant FAMACHA© Certification and Parasite Management online training. There were 130 participants from all over the United States, as well as other countries around the world, including Pakistan.
Internal parasite (worm) infections are the number one health problem affecting sheep and goats in the U.S. Previous overuse and misuse of drug treatments have led to worldwide reports of drug resistance. Subsequently, effective worm control is a major challenge to producers and not only affects small ruminant productivity, but also farm profitability and sustainability.
As part of the training, participating producers receive a FAMACHA© card and certificate. The FAMACHA© card is a tool used by farmers to assess individual need for deworming, based on the presence of anemia or not. The test rates an animal’s eye membrane on a scale of 1 – 5, with 1 being bright red and healthy and 5 being white and severely anemic. The card and other tools used in the training help producers to develop worm control programs on their farms to decrease deworming frequency and slow down developing drug resistance.
To become certified and receive their card in the mail, all participants are required to submit a video demonstrating that they know how to correctly perform FAMACHA scores on a goat, sheep, llama or Alpaca. Additionally, participants must pass an online quiz. Moving forward, the VSU Small Ruminant program intends to work collaboratively with extension agents and other universities to continue to meet the needs of our clientele during this crisis. Keep checking the calendar. We look forward to seeing you online soon!
For more information, please contact Dr. Dahlia O’Brien at dobrien@vsu.edu.