University of Missouri livestock and forage specialists are reporting ergot infestations that can cause major losses in livestock, said MU Extension state specialist in veterinary toxicology and animal health Tim Evans.
Ergot is a toxic fungus that infects the seed heads of many grasses and some cereal grains. It can cause severe illness and even death in livestock, especially cattle, and possibly horses, Evans says.
“You take a hot day and combine ergot, it’s likely going to be a problem for animals,” he says.
An earlier version of this story highlighted the need to make a second cutting, but MU Extension state forage and grazing specialist Harley Naumann points out that cool-season grasses that have already produced a first cutting of hay will no longer produce seed heads and are not susceptible to infection by ergot. “It’s easy to forget that one reason for making hay earlier in the season is to eliminate the chance of it being infected by ergot,” Naumann says. Subsequent growth of these grasses will remain in the vegetative state and not produce seed heads.
Source : missouri.edu