In Fall, 2021, we were approved for our first ever SARE grant. The goal of the grant was to study the feasibility of using natural predators to mitigate fly stress on grazing livestock.

Tree swallows migrate to Missouri during their mating season, and are voracious hunters of flies. Our hypothesis was, if we could attract more of them during the warm summer months, they would help keep fly populations manageable.

Now, with one year of data under our belt and the project nearing its end, we look forward to finalizing our results and sharing them soon.