If nitrate toxicity is a concern, place a few test animals on the pastures for several days before grazing the entire herd. If nitrate toxicity is a concern, place cattle on suspected pastures for only 2 to 4 hours each day for the first few weeks to prevent over consumption. Cattle seem to adjust to eating high nitrate forages with time. But, it may be that cattle learn to select only the leaves that have less nitrate, or they eat more quantities of other forages if available. Do not overstock pastures where the suspect forage is the only forage available.
Cattle are likely to eat the entire plant including the stem.
Provide free-choice hay is possible. Do not place underfed or starving cattle on suspect pastures without filling them up with hay first. If hay is not an option, place cattle on the pasture for only 2 hours per day. Be especially cautious of initiating grazing or haying heavily fertilized grasses when the weather has been overcast and rainy for several days. Moist soil facilitates nitrate absorption, and without sunshine to drive photosynthesis, nitrate accumulates in plant tissue.