They become more susceptible to respiratory diseases and heart conditions. Locoweeds are rampant on the 14,000 acres that Snyder leases in Union and Harding counties. A Guide to the Common Locoweeds and Milkvetches of New Mexico, published by NMSU's College of Agriculture and Home Economics, helped Snyder pinpoint poisonous plants in one particular pasture. For two months, Snyder checked his cattle every day, gathered the ones that were eating locoweed and put them in a loco-free pasture. We're going to lose a ton of money on them.
Ranchers end up with livestock that suffer from weight loss.
The cattle are no good, because they look so bad that nobody will pay anything for them. If a cow with a nursing calf eats locoweed, it's harder on the calf. If pregnant cows eat loco, they may abort their calves, or calves may be born with deformities like three eyes. I had a calf born this year with three legs. I don't know if loco caused the deformity, but it sure could have.