A few area producers are beginning to harvest corn as silage. Some areas have not received rainfall for up to six weeks. This raises a concern of high nitrates in fields that are well fertilized and have not had adequate moisture for the plant to convert the nitrogen into protein.
Most forages contain some levels of nitrates.
This usually does not pose a problem to ruminants. The bacteria in the rumen can convert the nitrates into microbial protein through a series of metabolic steps. The nitrite form of nitrogen is the product that causes poisoning. With an excess of nitrate, excess nitrite is formed. The nitrite can be absorbed into the bloodstream before being converted into microbial protein.