Corn stalk disease

[Anonymous]

My grandfather's diary from the 1880's refers to corn stalk disease in cattle. He lived in western Kansas. Literature I have read from the 1950's still had various opinions about what that was. Can you help me understand it?

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[Anonymous]

> My grandfather's diary from the
> 1880's refers to corn stalk
> disease in cattle. He lived in
> western Kansas. Literature I have
> read from the 1950's still had
> various opinions about what that
> was. Can you help me understand
> it?

May be what we now call prussic acid poisoning. Another possibility, though probably not in the 1880's, would be nitrate poisoning. Do a google search on those terms and you'll be able to read about them. Some years ago several farmers in my area that essentially lost the corn crop to drought considered baling the stalks. But prussic acid and/or nitrate poison was way too high so it could not be safley fed to cattle. Happens in drought stressed plants in the plant family that includes corn, milo (sorghum), sudan, Haygrazer,johnson grass, etc. I think, but am not certain, that it can also happen when plants have been growing in heavily overcast conditions, for many days without sunshine.

 

[Anonymous]

With dairy or any cattle operation, care has to be given to feeding drought stressed corn, because of aflatoxin concerns.

> May be what we now call prussic
> acid poisoning. Another
> possibility, though probably not
> in the 1880's, would be nitrate
> poisoning. Do a google search on
> those terms and you'll be able to
> read about them. Some years ago
> several farmers in my area that
> essentially lost the corn crop to
> drought considered baling the
> stalks. But prussic acid and/or
> nitrate poison was way too high so
> it could not be safley fed to
> cattle. Happens in drought
> stressed plants in the plant
> family that includes corn, milo
> (sorghum), sudan,
> Haygrazer,johnson grass, etc. I
> think, but am not certain, that it
> can also happen when plants have
> been growing in heavily overcast
> conditions, for many days without
> sunshine.

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