Sacahuista has little value for livestock.
Cattle graze the foliage only in times of drought.
Sacahuista is habituative and extremely toxic to sheep and goats. Palatability of sacahuista is generally poor for wildlife and livestock. Protein composition of sacahuista was the lowest of the species sampled. During World War II, sacahuista was discovered to have commerical value as a source of fiber. Since then, it has been harvested in Arizona, New Mexico, and northern Mexico.