A mysterious mass death of a herd of cattle has prompted a federal investigation in Central Texas.
Preliminary test results are blaming the deaths on the grass the cows were eating when they got sick, reports CBS Station KEYE.
The cows dropped dead several weeks ago on an 80-acre ranch owned by Jerry Abel in Elgin, just east of Austin.
Abel says he’s been using the fields for cattle grazing and hay for 15 years. “A lot of leaf, it’s good grass, tested high for protein – it should have been perfect,” he told KEYE correspondent Lisa Leigh Kelly.
The grass is a genetically-modified form of Bermuda known as Tifton 85 which has been growing here for 15 years, feeding Abel’s 18 head of Corriente cattle. Corriente are used for team roping because of their small size and horns.
“When we opened that gate to that fresh grass, they were all very anxious to get to that,” said Abel.
Three weeks ago, the cattle had just been turned out to enjoy the fresh grass, when something went terribly wrong.
“When our trainer first heard the bellowing, he thought our pregnant heifer may be having a calf or something,” said Abel. “But when he got down here, virtually all of the steers and heifers were on the ground. Some were already dead, and the others were already in convulsions.”
Within hours, 15 of the 18 cattle were dead.
“That was very traumatic to see, because there was nothing you could do, obviously, they were dying,” said Abel.
Preliminary tests revealed the Tifton 85 grass, which has been here for years, had suddenly started producing cyanide gas, poisoning the cattle.
I am skeptical. For Grass to start producing cyanide in non-trivial quantities suddenly staggers belief and smarts of science fiction. What would have caused it? Last year, we did have a severe drought, but not much greater than those of my youth, and why would it happen now, during a rather wet year?
This smells of Greenpeace propaganda
Wet years after drought stressors usually suggest fungal infection, which is my early prediction on preliminary information.
In that case, the cause would be disease, which I agree, seems rational, if not likely. However, no one will read the follow-up saying that it’s an infection.
Indeed not unlikely – check out annual ryegrass toxicity which appeared in Southern and Western Australia in the 1950s and has since spread (a bacterium, I think, which can be inoculated against with a fungus?).
After 15 years GM wire grass suddenly starts producing HCN in toxic levels? The gas, not a cyanide salt. Just breathing at grass level is toxic? Tifton 85 is a hybrid developed in the early to mid 80′s in Tifton, GA. (UGA?). Not the frankengrass the story is made up to be and the first event in almost 30 years. I believe I’d be looking for another reason.
It’s CBS. I’ll wait for the grown ups. Sorry, but a few of those Alar and DDT hypes, and you start taking their news with a grain of cyanide salt.
Not just about junk science either. http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/303860/brothers-day-mark-steyn
Virginia Cooperative Extension on the dangers of cyanide poisoning of cattle eating Sorghum ( Sudangrass, Johnsongrass ), Prunus, or flax. Apparently coming OUT of drought conditions can cause excessive hydrocyanic acid production – fatal when ingested by cattle.
http://www.sites.ext.vt.edu/newsletter-archive/livestock/aps-07_08/aps-804.html
NOTE: No GM Crops were harmed in this study…..
Sorry, not a biologist here.
Is this a natural trait for Bermuda, or was it imported alongside desired traits with the GM? If so, then it’s a problem specifically with this strain that we need to be careful of, similar to transmission of allergy issues that we’ve been watching out for all this time.
Stan,
Perhaps you should write an article, along with a representative of the Virginia C-Op Extension service clarifying the issue. Offer it to CBS or NPR….
I have a veterinarian friend who has a large animal practice. He hates spring, because animals get off prepared feed and start eating natural in the fields again. That’s when all the trouble starts.
As luck would have it, my vet buddy was at the gym this afternoon, and I discussed this with him.
He said some grasses and sorghums can accumulate toxic levels of cyanide when stressed. He’s never seen it, but he’s heard of it. I asked it if was from a fungus, and he said, “No, that’s *****.” I can’t remember the word, but it made me think of snails, being something like “escargot.” The cyanide poisoning and diseases caused by fungus are two different problems.
Anywho, the point is that it is the nature of stressed grasses to accumulate cyanide. The GM grass is still grass. It behaves like grass. Had the farmer used some other grass, it would have made no difference. The problem should be blamed on the environment, not the specific grass. Or on the farmer for failing to recognize that conditions were there for cyanide accumulation.
Ironically, I bet it would be possible to breed a GM grass that did not accumulate cyanide, and hence could actually SOLVE the problem.
I’ve heard of many problems associated with the first few days of turning cattle from feed to grass over the years, and can only suspect that there’s much more to this than just what’s reported. I’ll side with those who believe there’s nearly zero chance it has anything to do with GM, and everything to do with some unusual condition in that particular field under those specific conditions, and which could easily have been prevented by just a little care in switching feeds. But of course, why would any farmer pay attention to the weather, or his (Very expensive) cattle?
“CORRECTION: As originally published, this story referred to Tifton 85 grass as a genetically-modified product, which is incorrect; it is actually a hybrid of Bermuda grass.”
Duh.
The story says there is a Federal investigation.
An internet search turned up plenty of references to cyanide killing cattle. Like this one:
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/210800.htm
At least they issued the correction.