Harvesting and Feeding Drought-Stressed Corn

How to best harvest, store and use drought-stressed corn is a problem dairy and livestock producers may encounter at one time or another. The severity of the drought, cultural practices, plant growth, plant maturity and livestock feeding regimes are factors that influence how to harvest, store and feed most effectively the drought-stressed corn. Dairy and livestock producers attempting to salvage usable feed from their drought-stressed fields of corn must not only be wary of poisoning their livestock, but poisoning themselves as well. Accumulation of nitrates in drought-stressed corn can cause nitrate toxicity in animals and ensiled drought-stressed corn can produce poisonous nitrogen gases during the fermentation process, which may be lethal to livestock and humans

Prussic Acid Poisoning of Livestock: Causes and Prevention

What Is Prussic Acid? Sudangrass, sorghum, and sorghum-sudangrass hybrids are among a group of plants that produce cyanide, which can poison livestock under certain conditions. Also included in this group of plants are johnsongrass, chokecherry, and black cherry. These plants produce cyanogenic glycosides during their growing stage. Glycosides are compounds containing a carbohydrate (sugar) and a noncarbohydrate residue in the same molecule. They decompose (breakdown) into glucose sugar and noncarbohydrate residue by hydrolysis (addition of water) as a result of enzymatic action. In cyanogenic plants this decomposition frees the cyanide from its chemical bond, and it becomes toxic hydrocyanic acid, frequently called prussic acid, and abbreviated HCN. The intact, still-bonded cyanide and glucose are not poisonous. But, when certain enzymes are present that break the bond and free the cyanide, prussic acid (a highly toxic poison) is formed. The enzymes involved in this chemical decomposition of the cyanide and glycosides usually are present in the same plant—but may be available from other sources. Animal digestive juices are a probable source

Determining the Value of Drought-Stressed Corn

Drought-stressed corn for grain or silage does not automatically signal disaster, as both crops can provide high-quality forage for ruminant animals. Drought-stressed corn or corn that is unpollinated will produce little or no grain crop for the crop farmer to sell, but dairy producers can use the unpollinated corn for silage. On a dry matter basis, the drought-stressed corn will be approximately equal in feeding value to normal corn silage

Nitrate Poisoning of Livestock Causes and Prevention

Nitrate poisoning is generally caused when animals eat too much forage that is high in nitrates not changed to protein in the plant. Poisoning can also happen when animals eat too much urea or nitrogen fertilizer spilled in the field or left where the animals can find it. Nitrate fertilizer is palatable, especially to cattle

Alfalfa hay quality in Oregon

New grading standards for hay have been proposed by the American Forage and Grassland Council and the Federal Grain Inspection Service. This publication traces the development of these standards, describes new terminology, and reports on research conducted at Oregon State University to evaluate these new standards. Alfalfa hay samples obtained from five distinct geographical areas in Oregon were subjected to various chemical analyses (crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, in vitro dry matter digestibility, calcium, and phosphorous). Differences between values for regions and cuttings were quite small, with mean values falling within the limits presently defined as Grade 2 alfalfa hay. This indicates that management factors are more important than geographical region or cutting in determining hay quality. These results also point out the importance of hay testing in providing an objective measure of hay quality. Animal production studies also were conducted on alfalfa hays of varying quality. Acid detergent fiber was found to be a good predictor of both animal intake and digestibility. Milk production was greatest from cows fed rations containing high-quality hay when rations contained 45 percent hay, but no significant differences were observed when cows were fed rations containing only 30 percent hay.Published October 1981. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalo

Grazing Lands in the East

This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between the Society for Range Management, the National Agricultural Library, and the University of Arizona Libraries.The Rangelands archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform March 202

Managing and Marketing for Pasture-Based Livestock Production (NRAES 174)

This 116 page publication (NRAES-174) was originally published by the Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service (NRAES, previously known as the Northeast Regional Agricultural Engineering Service), a multi-university program in the Northeast US disbanded in 2011. Plant and Life Sciences Publishing (PALS) was subsequently formed to manage the NRAES catalog. Ceasing operations in 2018, PALS was a program of the Department of Horticulture in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at Cornell University. PALS assisted university faculty in publishing, marketing and distributing books for small farmers, gardeners, land owners, workshops, college courses, and consumers.Essential information for producers to manage and market a goal-oriented forage-livestock system, helping them determine whether or not the business venture will be feasible, develop mission and goals, enhance marketplace knowledge, and better evaluate consumer demand

Forage Production for Pasture-Based Livestock Production (NRAES 172)

This 141 page publication (NRAES-172) was originally published by the Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service (NRAES, previously known as the Northeast Regional Agricultural Engineering Service), a multi-university program in the Northeast US disbanded in 2011. Plant and Life Sciences Publishing (PALS) was subsequently formed to manage the NRAES catalog. Ceasing operations in 2018, PALS was a program of the Department of Horticulture in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at Cornell University. PALS assisted university faculty in publishing, marketing and distributing books for small farmers, gardeners, land owners, workshops, college courses, and consumers.Essential information on forage production discussing: plant morphology, ecology, and management; soil fertility; nutrient management; impacts of grazing; pests, weeds, and diseases; and establishing forage stands