In the wake of Hurricane Helene, there are a lot of trees down in pastures and on fences. On top of the obvious issue of down fence not holding cows and horses in, this can create a couple of additional issues:
- Wild cherry trees are common along fence lines. If these are down and cattle and horses have access, they need to be removed immediately. Once the leaves start to wilt, they are extremely poisonous to ruminants (cattle, sheep, and goats) and horses. Many cherry trees have started dropping their leaves, but there are still enough to be dangerous. In the attached, you will see a “current” picture of a cherry branch.
- Down fences can give cattle access to other poisonous plants. This is typically not an issue if cattle have access to adequate pasture, hay, and/or feed. However, the most dangerous cow is a hungry cow. If they are hungry, they are likely to eat things they normally would not. It does not take much for some plants to be lethal. Hailey Robinson has a great booklet on Toxic Weed Identification. Pasture and fence-line walks can help identify these plants before they cause an issue.
- As for horses, UF Extension has a great publication about toxic plants for horses. Be on the lookout for down Red Maples, Cherry Trees and Walnuts. These plants are typically avoided by horses, or large quantities are required to cause toxicity.
If you have any questions or need any help, please feel free to reach out to Ashley Best the Newton ANR Agent or anyone on the Beef Team. All our resources and contact information can be found at ugabeef.com.