Ragwort vs mouldy s feed as source of stock losses

Bogweevil

Member
What do you experienced stockmen think of this:

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Goweresque

Member
Location
North Wilts
To be fair I do often wonder if the danger from ragwort is over blown. The amount of silage that gets made with ragwort in it must be fairly significant, as early cuts are taken well before the flowering stage, so spotting it to pull is nigh on impossible. I've seen many grass fields that have obviously been silaged showing signs of ragwort regrowth, so the first cut must have had some in it. If ragwort was as toxic to livestock as is commonly thought one would expect far more cases of poisoning than there are.
 

egbert

Member
Livestock Farmer
To be fair I do often wonder if the danger from ragwort is over blown. The amount of silage that gets made with ragwort in it must be fairly significant, as early cuts are taken well before the flowering stage, so spotting it to pull is nigh on impossible. I've seen many grass fields that have obviously been silaged showing signs of ragwort regrowth, so the first cut must have had some in it. If ragwort was as toxic to livestock as is commonly thought one would expect far more cases of poisoning than there are.
A lot of the stock eating that silage will have a short life expectancy.

I'm having increasing troubles with photosensitivity -1-2% a year- which we're suspicious is being partly caused by ragwort and bracken creeping into the fodder.
It's hard to know.
 

Estate fencing.

Member
Livestock Farmer
To be fair I do often wonder if the danger from ragwort is over blown. The amount of silage that gets made with ragwort in it must be fairly significant, as early cuts are taken well before the flowering stage, so spotting it to pull is nigh on impossible. I've seen many grass fields that have obviously been silaged showing signs of ragwort regrowth, so the first cut must have had some in it. If ragwort was as toxic to livestock as is commonly thought one would expect far more cases of poisoning than there are.
There is a 500 acre block of hls grass that someone making into hay around here , it’s full of the stuff and the send the lot to wales for feed.
 

Grassman

Member
Location
Derbyshire
To be fair I do often wonder if the danger from ragwort is over blown. The amount of silage that gets made with ragwort in it must be fairly significant, as early cuts are taken well before the flowering stage, so spotting it to pull is nigh on impossible. I've seen many grass fields that have obviously been silaged showing signs of ragwort regrowth, so the first cut must have had some in it. If ragwort was as toxic to livestock as is commonly thought one would expect far more cases of poisoning than there are.
I tend to agree. I have seen a lot of ragwort in silage crops when I used to do a fair bit of contracting but was not flowering.
I did read it takes quite a large amount of ragwort to be eaten regularly for it to be harmful. How true I dont know.
But I think it gets a far worse name than it deserves. I have actually never heard of a definite case of ragwort poisoning in horses. They do seem to find plenty of other things to make them ill😀
 

Cowmansam

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Shropshire
I was on some disused land playing about in a boat last night around 40 acre no idea who owns it used to be a skip yard was hundreds off them around all on these plants not sure what they are not seen them before but the bugs seems to like them
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steveR

Member
Mixed Farmer
I tend to agree. I have seen a lot of ragwort in silage crops when I used to do a fair bit of contracting but was not flowering.
I did read it takes quite a large amount of ragwort to be eaten regularly for it to be harmful. How true I dont know.
But I think it gets a far worse name than it deserves. I have actually never heard of a definite case of ragwort poisoning in horses. They do seem to find plenty of other things to make them ill😀

There was a rsather stupid chap not far from us who put 2 ponies on his fields that were infested with Ragwort, lost both and was trying topin it on all manner of spurious reasons. PM came back.... Ragwort poisoning...
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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