Don't Deworm Everything: The Science Behind FAMACHA Certification

Deworm every animal every time, and pretty soon the dewormer stops working. On this Extension Office Friday edition of The Valley Today, host Janet Michael is back on the Zooms with Elizabeth Mullins Baldwin (Page County Extension agent) and Cynthia Fairbanks (Warren County Extension agent) to talk about herd health for the region's growing population of small-ruminant producers — and a hands-on FAMACHA certification workshop coming up at the Warren County Fairgrounds on Saturday, July 11th. The conversation starts with a friendly reality check for anyone thinking about getting into sheep or goats — yes, they're a great entry point into farming, but also yes, "do your homework before you go to the sale" is the single best piece of advice the Extension office can give. Then Cynthia and Elizabeth walk through what FAMACHA actually is — a science-based, color-card system developed in 1990s South Africa by Dr. Faffa Malan that helps producers decide which animals actually need deworming and which don't, based on real-time signs of anemia from the barber pole worm. The result: less money wasted on dewormer, less resistance built up in parasites, and healthier animals. Workshop attendees get hands-on practice, a FAMACHA certification, fecal egg count demonstrations, and the science-backed answers to all the "but I heard you can just feed them a Christmas tree" home remedies floating around. EVENT DETAILS — FAMACHA CERTIFICATION WORKSHOP Saturday, July 11, 2026 • 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM Warren County Fairgrounds • $30 per person (flat fee, regardless of farm size) • Breakfast included • Open to producers from any county • Pre-registration required WHAT YOU'LL LEARN AND LEAVE WITH • FAMACHA certification (with certificate) • Hands-on practice scoring real sheep and goats with the FAMACHA color card • Demonstration of proper fecal sample collection (Elizabeth) • Live microscope demo of fecal egg counts (a powerful tool for measuring dewormer resistance) • Science-based review of internal and external parasites common in Virginia • A look at popular herbal/home remedies — and which ones research actually supports • Direct Q&A with Extension agents WHO IT'S FOR • Current sheep and goat producers • New producers building up their first herd • Anyone considering sheep or goats in the future who wants to know what they're getting into • Camelid (llama and alpaca) owners — newly included this year • Producers concerned about dewormer resistance and rising input costs HOW TO REGISTER • Online registration - click here or get the flyer here.  • In person at your local Extension office (cash or check) • By phone — call either Extension office directly A NOTE ON FAMACHA FAMACHA was developed in South Africa in the early 1990s by veterinarian Dr. Faffa Malan, in response to widespread blanket deworming that was creating costly dewormer-resistant parasites. The system uses a color card matched to the eye mucous membrane of the animal to score anemia on a 1-5 scale — a real-time, non-invasive proxy for packed cell volume (red blood cell concentration). It's specifically designed to detect the effects of the barber pole worm (Haemonchus contortus), the most common and damaging internal parasite for small ruminants in the southeastern United States. The goal: only deworm animals that actually need it, preserve the effectiveness of the few approved dewormers we still have, and save producers money in the process. LINKS & RESOURCES • Page County Extension on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PageCountyVCE • Warren County Extension on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WarrenCountyVCE  • Your local Extension office can answer questions on herd health, soil testing, pest management, and more (calls are free and welcome — Extension agents in Frederick, Clarke, Shenandoah, Warren, and Page counties serve the whole region) CONNECT WITH VIRGINIA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION VCE – Clarke County: 540-955-5164 VCE – Frederick County: 540-665-5699 VCE – Page County: 540-778-5794 VCE – Shenandoah County: 540-459-6140 VCE – Warren County: 540-635-4549 THE VALLEY TODAY with Janet Michael — A decade of conversations. New podcast episodes drop weekdays at 11 AM. Catch the show on The River 95.3 and Fox Sports 1450 AM weekdays just after noon. Subscribe and listen at thevalleytodaypodcast.com — available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoy the show, please take a moment to leave a rating or review — it helps more listeners find us. Connect with us: Facebook — facebook.com/ValleyTodayFanPage Instagram — instagram.com/thevalleytoday