MO Cattle Dying

Anonymous-0 · Sep 7, 2012

Article today says cattle in SW MO are dying from eating Johnson grass.
http://www.kansascity.com/2012/09/07/3802264/missouri-cattle-die-after-eating.html

37chief · Sep 7, 2012

That must be some bad stuff. That is a big loss to the ranchers.I thought cattle can eat almost anything. My Grandmother said they burned the stickers off of cactus leavs, and the cattle ate them, when hay was scarse. Stan

morgan in ar · Sep 7, 2012

drought (or frost) stressed johnson grass can build up nitrates, much like cornstalks or many other feedstuffs.

old · Sep 7, 2012

The way I hear it fescue can do the same thing. I know over the years I have done my best to do the largest number of types of grass /clover mix I can do in my hay so that it is good for most any animal

petetx · Sep 7, 2012

Johnson grass that is drought stressed and after the first frost can have a high nitrates we used to have it checked before feeding it

JMOR · Sep 7, 2012

(quoted from post at 17:22:02 09/07/12) Article today says cattle in SW MO are dying from eating Johnson grass.
http://www.kansascity.com/2012/09/07/3802264/missouri-cattle-die-after-eating.html

russic acid poisoning....well know here. Johnson grass is baled for winter feeding & can be grazed, but the rancher has to know what he is doing. At the wrong time/conditions, it causes prussic acid poisoning & kills cattle very quickly.

paul · Sep 8, 2012

Same thing can happen from stressed corn plant, the N builds up in the plant & doesn"t make a normal ear, the N stays in the plant. We got to be careful feeding this year.

Also aflotoxin is bad in some areas of the country, cattle are pretty tolerant of it but other critters not so much....

--->Paul

Tx Jim · Sep 8, 2012

Prussic acid is also referred to as hydrocyanic acid. Proper curing of hay with prussic acid poisoning will normally be safe as storage of hay for 3-4 weeks.

Texasmark1 · Sep 8, 2012

This is a new one for me. Course the other day I heard that you can get it from Pearl Millet. So much BS on the waves today don't know what to believe.

So the other day I took a sample of some suspect JG with white powder on it, having met the requirements for stressed grass.

Sent it to the state ag college with $35 and all I got back was that their lab has no facility to test for PA. Try another lab they said.

So much for that.

Mark

Frank A · Sep 8, 2012

It's been bad this year. Johnson grass has a good chance of having both prussic acid and nitrates.Prusic acid will (hay out) but nitrates will not.We have received some rain but I am keeping my cows off of the pasture with johnson grass untill after frost and it has dried out.

old · Sep 8, 2012

Ya any more if it isn't one thing it is another thing that will kill you or your live stock or what ever else they can think of. I think any more people have gotten to clean and use to many pills so no wonder we have all this new stuff coming out that will kill us

MO Cattle Dying

Anonymous-0

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37chief

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morgan in ar

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old

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petetx

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JMOR

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paul

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Tx Jim

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Frank A

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old

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