Scary stuff

[The Mama Chicken]

This story just broke today. Some special kind of bermuda grass has mutated and produced enough cyanide gas to kill 15 cows that had just been let onto the pasture. There's some debate as to whether the grass is GMO or an F1 hybrid (it's sterile, which leads me to believe that the genes have been meddled with in some way), but either way, it's scary stuff. Even scarier? It's about 2 hours away from me and only about 20 minutes from my mom's house


http://www.foodrenegade.com/mutated-gmo-grass-makes-cyanide-kills-cattle-2/

 

[NwMtGardener]

Wow, that's weird. What's the weather been like down there? Frost could cause some types of forage to produce cyanide...i dunno about bermuda grasses, but cant imagine you guys having a frost there this time of year?? In Montana sure

 

[The Mama Chicken]

No, it's been in the 90s for weeks now. They said it may have something to do with the drought last year.

 

[so lucky]

Wonder if we'll see that on the national news? Probably not....could sort of point a finger at big advertisers.

 

[The Mama Chicken]

CBS is already covering it.


http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57459357/gm-grass-linked-to-texas-cattle-deaths/

 

[lesa]

I feel so helpless when I hear something like this...

 

[Collector]

That is some truly scary stuff. (YIKES)

 

[farmettehopeful]

Wow, that is scary stuff! I would have never imagined something like that could even happen.

 

[Smiles Jr.]

Wonder if we'll see that on the national news? Probably not....could sort of point a finger at big advertisers.

I saw it on two different networks yesterday.

 

[hoodat]

That story is being blown out of proportion by media hype.
This is an old problem and every experienced rancher knows all about it. The usualy call it prusic acid poisoning. It's usually brought on by careless overaplication of high nitrogen chemical fertilizers which forces more new growth than the grass would normally produce. Experienced ranchers are suspicious of grass that looks too lush and get it tested before turning livestock into it. Any county ag station can perform the simple test.