Ergot help please

[Libbyjones]

I have a grazing field full of ergot. What is control please?
ive researched what I can as far as I can see my next plan of action should be to mow, collect cuttings, burn and rest for a year, and soil test for copper deficiency?
is there anything else please and am I on the right track?
it is grazing used for horses
thanks

 

[Flatlander]

Ergot will only be a problem if you let the grasses go to seed. Keep it grazed or topped off and shouldn’t be a problem. I personally wouldn’t collect the clippings as by that point most of the ergot will have fallen out. If you could plough the pasture down good and reseed that would be your best option for long term control. Just never let the grass set seed and after a few years you should be fine.

 

[Libbyjones]

Ergot will only be a problem if you let the grasses go to seed. Keep it grazed or topped off and shouldn’t be a problem. I personally wouldn’t collect the clippings as by that point most of the ergot will have fallen out. If you could plough the pasture down good and reseed that would be your best option for long term control. Just never let the grass set seed and after a few years you should be fine.

Thanks for response. Short term, sort of need an immediate solution as land acreage is limited. When can I reuse the field for the horses please as I won’t be able to plough and reseed. Once ergot has dropped, or if it’s mown and clippings gathered, can field still be grazed or is it now out of action for the winter? Don’t want my horses at risk of course.

 

[Exfarmer]

If you leave the horses in then you will need to remove the trimmings. Horses would not naturally eat the seed heads provided they have plenty of grazing. When the grass is wilted it will make the toppings more attractive.
Ergot is not normally an issue except it does cause abortion. It is only serious when the harvested grain is kept damp and in some cases can produce LSD , widely believed to have been responsible for outbreaks of mass hysteria in the past.
I have never heard of ergot poisoning from grazing and would be very surprised unless the horses were very tightly restricted meaning they eat anything going.