Facial Eczema Risk Bulletin
for week ended 3 February 2019
| No. of sites monitored: | 18 | |
| Average Spore Count: | 15,000 | |
| Highest Spore Count: | 50,000 | |
| Lowest Spore Count: | 0 | |
| Weekly Rainfall (mm): | No data | (Source: AgResearch PN) |
| No. Days Grass Min Temp > 12°C | No data | (Source: AgResearch PN) |
| Weekly Ave Grass Min Temp: | No data | (Source: AgResearch PN) |
In the week ending 3 February the sentinel farms with grass counted came in at low levels. However, two sites outside of this group did have spore counts indicating that protection needed to be in place. These locations were at Linton (our highest spore count of 50,000sp/gm) and Longburn (35,000sp/gm). Both of these sites had not been counted before so there is no indication that they were at higher levels for a period of time. The Linton site was a sheltered paddock with long grass and contained a lot of leaf litter. This provides ideal conditions for the spores to grow.
Unfortunately, the weather data from AgResearch continues to be unavailable for our report, but you only need to step outside your door to see how humid the conditions are. Overnight temperatures of more than 12°C are ideal for spore growth and looking back over Metservice data we have not had many nights over the last month that have dropped below that. The lack of rainfall will help to keep the spores in check, but hotspots are out there, and heavy dew can be enough to get things moving.
Check the table below for all site results.
Click here for advice on facial eczema prevention from Totally Vets.
Click on the link to download this bulletin as a PDF: 
FE Risk Bulletin 3 Feb 19 (0.67MB)
Spore counts can vary greatly between properties and even between paddocks. We encourage farmers to bring in grass samples to get a more accurate idea of the facial eczema risk on their own property. Contact Totally Vets if you would like more information on bringing in your own samples for testing.
