Episode 6 of The Drench Line comes to you live from Lajitas Golf Resort in far west Texas — mosquitoes, heat, and all. Sam Silvers and Logan Newsom sat down between tee times to tackle what's been on every show livestock producer's mind lately: New World Screwworm.
They kick things off with a straightforward take — it's serious, it's manageable, and the worst thing you can do right now is nothing. Sam walks through what he's actually doing to protect Shep and Staton's show animals: logging every Dectomax treatment in a steno book — dates, dosages, and lot numbers — so he has documentation ready if USDA or Texas Animal Health Commission comes knocking. It's not required; it's just smart. If you're not keeping records right now, this episode will make you start.
From there, they break down what the show barn protocol looks like in real time: a Dectomax shot for freshly banded or recently castrated animals (good for roughly 21 days of protection), screw worm aerosol on any open wounds, and a watchful eye — especially on banded wethers, where the wound isn't always easy to spot at a glance. Logan also flags an often-overlooked area: fine wool sheep with busted or shelled horns. That wound at the base of the horn is exactly where problems can start.
The conversation shifts to the producer side, with Sam and Logan sharing how the screw worm situation has changed their flush and AI plans. Sam pushed his June flush back to July to get a solid protocol in place before putting ewes back on pasture. Logan breaks down what they've landed on: suture or staple every wound off the cart, hit it with Alu-Shield, spray with Dectomax, and hope that 21-day window carries you through.
They also dig into fly systems, the wound coat vs. Alu-Shield debate (Sam is a purple wound coat guy; Logan makes a case for the silver spray in AI scenarios), and when Co-Ral still earns a spot in the rotation.
Second half of the episode covers summer maintenance — what it looks like to keep show animals healthy, cool, and moving in the right direction without pushing too hard too early. Track introduction, treadmill training, halter breaking, stand training, and why waiting until you need conditioning is already too late.
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Episode 6
