North 40 Ag

Prussic Acid Poisoning: How To Avoid It, And Other Concerns During Fall Grazing

Alex Winchell — Tue, 31 Aug 2021 14:51:29 +0000

Prussic Acid Poisoning: How To Avoid It, And Other Concerns During Fall Grazing

Prussic acid is tricky to test for because it is volatile and if not sampled correctly, can test as safe from the lab when it is not safe. To test for prussic acid toxicity:

Sample the youngest leaves from 20 plants across the field
Gently fold leaves and place into a zip lock bag. (Take extra caution not to damage the leaves, if the leaves are damages it opens up the plant for the prussic acid to volatize before it gets to the lab, giving it a false safe result)
Overnight your sample so it arrives at the lab Monday-Thursday (this ensures it can be sampled right away for the best results)

If the sample comes back marginal or unsafe, don’t worry you can still utilize the forage. Wait 7-10 days after a killing frost or swathing before it is safe to graze. This gives time for the prussic acid to volatize off.

Prussic acid binds to the hemoglobin in the bloodstream which hinders oxygen transfer therefore causing asphyxiation. Symptoms of prussic acid poisoning appear rapidly, within minutes of the livestock consuming forage. Immediate symptoms include staggering, labored breathing, spasms, and foaming at the mouth. Affected animals will often lie, and thrash quickly. If treatment isn’t administered quickly it will result in death.

Do not forget to also test nitrates in your forage. Drought make plants more apt to carry unsafe levels of nitrates. The problem occurs more in ruminants than other livestock animals, if the cattle or sheep are pregnant one of the first telling signs is abortion. Other signs of nitrate poisoning include labored breathing, muscle tremors, and a staggered gait, if not treated the animal can die quickly.

Overall, sorghum sudangrasses and other species provide high quality and quantity forage, especially in years of drought. With such a tough year, be sure to take a these few steps to ensure your continued success.

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Florida Broadleaf

Payal Vaishnav — Thu, 22 Apr 2021 10:10:49 +0000

Florida Broadleaf

This broadleaf produces a great taproot that has fibrous roots that come off it which helps it naturally break up compaction. This brassica produces the most biomass out of any of the brassicas which makes for ideal grazing scenarios. Also, forage produced by mustard plants have been shown to act as dewormer’s in livestock. Some concern has been made about having a tough time terminating this species, but it’s been shown to be easily controlled with the appropriate herbicide. It does need to be noted that if planted too early, this will bolt and set seed.

1 = Poor and 5 = Excellent

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Sunflower, Black Oil

Payal Vaishnav — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 22:20:44 +0000

Sunflower: Black Oil Seed

Sunflowers are one of the best producing and economical options for warm season broadleaf plants. With a deep taproot that will help in alleviating compaction zones and simultaneously pulling up nitrogen from deep, sunflowers are beneficial in numerous areas. Along with the big taproot, sunflowers are an ideal broadleaf for grazing livestock. Several producers have made mention of the coat on their livestock having a shine to it after being turned out in a field with sunflowers and safflowers. In addition to everything mentioned above, sunflowers will bring in beneficial insects.

1 = Poor and 5 = Excellent

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Safflower, Baldy

Payal Vaishnav — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 22:05:25 +0000

Safflower: Baldy

A warm season broadleaf that is in the same plant family as sunflower, safflower has produced well across central/eastern Montana for a bevy of reasons. This particular variety, “Baldy”, is spineless, developed in Montana and has been shown to produce great forage for livestock, upland birds and big game. Its taproot is great for helping in breaking up a compaction layer and accumulating nitrogen. When it does flower, safflower will bring in beneficial insects.

1 = Poor and 5 = Excellent

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Plantain

Payal Vaishnav — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 22:00:38 +0000

Plantain

Plantain is best suited for when building soil and grazing are the main goals. Plantain does well across a wide range of soil types and conditions because of its taproot AND fibrous root system. It doesn’t produce well when seeded as a monoculture which is why it is preferred to be seeded in a diverse mix.

1 = Poor and 5 = Excellent

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Phacelia

Payal Vaishnav — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 21:55:16 +0000

Phacelia

This cool season broadleaf is an excellent pollinator, attracting numerous beneficial insects. In addition to bringing in loads of beneficials, this plant makes for great grazing and is quick to establish.

1 = Poor and 5 = Excellent

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Flax

Payal Vaishnav — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 21:45:53 +0000

Flax

This cool season broadleaf is great for attracting beneficial insects and when it reaches maturity, it makes for great residue building. It makes for a solid choice when building soil is a goal because of its shallow, but extensive root system. Flax is best planted in either a cover crop mix or inter-seeded with another crop (chickpeas), planted alone it does not offer much biomass or residue on the surface.

1 = Poor and 5 = Excellent

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Browtine, Chicory

Payal Vaishnav — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 21:40:30 +0000

Chicory Browtine

A warm season perennial broadleaf, this plant offers great grazing because of its high protein levels. It will form mychorrhizal association which is important because this will in most cases, make phosphorous more readily available. It does need to be stated that a defined goal is needed when planting chicory, because it can persist and be difficult to control. Lastly, it will flower which will attract beneficial insects.

1 = Poor and 5 = Excellent

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Buckwheat

Payal Vaishnav — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 21:30:32 +0000

Buckwheat

Buckwheat is a great addition to a cover crop mix. It has root exudates that make soil phosphorus more available for subsequent crops and has been shown to build soil structure. It flowers within six weeks of planting, attracting many pollinators and beneficial insects. Flowers lead to seed production, which will occur throughout the summer. Buckwheat contamination has been found in a wheat shipment to Japan and in order to maintain the market NRCS has recommended buckwheat not be grown in a field two years prior to wheat production. As a broadleaf, controlling buckwheat in a small grain can be done with herbicides (Bromoxynil, dicamba, Curtail M, and harmony, A687 NDSU).

1 = Poor and 5 = Excellent

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Turnip, Purple Top

Payal Vaishnav — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 21:25:14 +0000

Purple Top Turnip

This brassica is an affordable plant to put in the ground when nutrient scavenging is wanted. Purple top turnips provide high energy and protein to cattle when grazed. This turnip can handle three days of 15°F temperatures before it finally is killed off. Since turnips are often put in mixes that will be grazed, it is important to note that since they are great at scavenging nitrogen and storing it in their tuber, high nitrates might be a concern if the mixture is brassica heavy or they field has a high concentration in one section of it. The top 1/3rd of the turnip will remain out of the ground, making it easier to pull and eat for livestock which could lead to some choking hazards in smaller livestock.

1 = Poor and 5 = Excellent

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