Prolonged drought in northeast Kansas has cow-calf producers worried about making it through the winter. Ponds and pastures have dried up, quality feed is becoming scarce, and failed grain crops are testing so high in nitrates that they are unusable as forage.
People are worried.
High nitrates can occur when plants absorb nutrients from the soil to make grain and then drought or other conditions prevent the grain heads from filling and the nutrients remain in the stalks and leaves of the plants. High levels of nitrates are poisonous to cattle. To help producers find answers, Reed and other extension animal scientists will host a meeting in Belleville on Nov. 8 at the Belleville 81 Livestock Sale Barn. Livestock Marketing Association vaccinated and certified calves program, by Barry Kort, Belleville 81 Livestock Sale Barn manager. There were no measurable drought losses in 1997.