Forage testing pushed by UA

Nitrate poisoning higher in drought

University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture researchers are cautioning beef and other livestock producers to test and monitor their forage supplies for nitrate poisoning and prussic acid.

The warning stems from a prolonged period of sparse rainfall in the state. Rainfall was fairly normal across the state through May, but little significant rain has fallen since the first week of June.

“Anytime we have any kind of drought situation, nitrate poisoning is a concern,” said Tom Troxel, associate head of animal science at the UA division in Little Rock. “If it’s in the hay today, it will be in the hay when you feed it in the winter time. It does not go away.”

Typically, he said, producers do not test their hay until they are preparing to feed it to livestock later in the season. County extension agents can provide information about getting the hay tested, he said.

Nitrate issues, Troxel said, normally surface in the fall when a freeze stops the normal growth process.

“It’s a problem that is very solvable, and a small investment in a storage test can save a lot of dollars in losses,” Troxel said.

Dirk Philipp, assistant professor at the UA department of animal science in Fayetteville, said during drought periods, nitrogen accumulates, especially in the lower 6 inches of the plant. Producers can avoid the excessive nitrogen levels by cutting the forage crop at 6 inches or higher, he said.

Prussic acid is typically found in stressed plants. Symptoms of prussic-acid poisoning in farm animals include progressive weakness, anxiety and labored breathing, according to a university fact sheet, and can ultimately result in the death of cattle, sheep and goats.

Johnny Gunsaulis, extension service agriculture agent for Washington County, said dry weather that limits the growth of forage crops can cause livestock to eat plants they normally would not consume.

Among those, he said, is perilla mint, which is poisonous to cattle, horses, sheep and other farm animals, causing respiratory distress.

“If we got rains in the next couple of weeks, things would sure be a lot easier on people,” he said.

Business, Pages 23 on 07/09/2013

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