With the remainder of this article I will be outlining an approach to prevent livestock poisonings by toxic range plants. IPM is a balanced, tactical approach to pest control. It involves taking action to prevent pest outbreaks, when possible, and to prevent excessive damage caused by pests. Following are the factors to consider when outlining your Integrated Toxic Plant Management program. Understand the factors affecting poisoning.
Most toxic plants kill animals only if eaten in relatively large amounts over a short time period.
Therefore, the dose usually determines whether poisoning occurs. Since livestock normally eat a variety of plants, rangelands in good condition that provide a variety of forages are generally safer than ranges in poor condition. Some toxic plants are not equally toxic to all species of livestock. For example, western bitterweed is toxic to sheep but usually not to cattle or goats. Other plants may be more toxic to animals in certain physiological stages.