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johnsongrass and the differ- The Midwest Cattleman · October 5, 2023 · P39
ent sorghums the things to
watch for are frost and the K-State Releases New Record-Keeping APP For Cattle by establishing a unique email
regrowth of sorghums after Kansas State University ag- maintain efficient and accurate address and password.
“Because it has the capabil-
a harvest. If there is a frost ricultural economics and veter- calving, weaning and treatment ity to track multiple herds and
and you want to graze one inary medicine staff have de- records, which helps mitigate individual animal information,
or more of these grasses, do veloped a record-keeping app the risk of data loss or misplace- CalfDex is tailored to meet the
not graze after a killing frost for cattle producers that now is ment that can happen with needs of all sizes of calving op-
available for iPhones and An- paper records. It consists of five
until plants are dry, which droid devices. The CalfDex app respective tabs for which users erations, from large purebred
usually takes 5 to 7 days. is free to download and was de- can choose to enter data, includ- enterprises to a 4-H or FFA stu-
And after a non-killing frost, signed for use in the field, even ing “Calving,” “Processing/vacci- dent beginning their first beef
do not allow animals to graze where cell phone service is not nation,” “Treatment,” “Weaning” breeding project,” Schroeder
for two weeks because the available. and “Postweaning." The app also said.
plants usually contain high According to K-State live- stores records across calving Your questions can be direct-
concentrations of cyanide. In stock economist Ted Schroeder, seasons, provides for easy down- ed to calfdex@ksu.edu.
A Guide to Plant Poisoning who helped develop the app, stream data sharing and allows
of Animals in North Ameri- CalfDex enables producers to users to protect the information
ca (2001), it notes johnson-
grass and sudan grasses are
the most common cause of
cyanide poisoning in cattle
and sheep and are especially
toxic when growing rapidly.
Fertilization with nitrogen
increases the potential for
cyanide toxicity. Regrowth of
sorghums after cutting has a
high potential for poisoning
and there is an old saying
that sorghums should not be
grazed until they are above
knee height. Cyanide-free
hybrids of sudan grasses are
available as forage crops for
animal consumption. All spe-
cies of johnsongrass and sor-
ghum may also accumulate
toxic levels of nitrate and are
a common source of nitrate
poisoning in cattle. According
to A Guide to Plant Poisoning
of Animals in North Ameri-
ca (2001), the recommended
treatment for cyanide poi-
soning is the intravenous
administration of a mixture
of 1 mL of 20% sodium ni-
trite and 3 mL of 20% sodi-
um thiosulfate per 100 lb. of
body weight. The dose can be
repeated in a few minutes
if no response is seen. Keep
in mind that all poisons can
be dose-dependent, so even
if there is less poison in the
leaves or nuts, eating enough
of them can have negative
consequences.
If you would like more in-
formation on poisoning and
toxicities that can affect your
livestock, contact your county
Extension Educator. Make
sure you have a Veterinary
Client Patient relationship
in place with your vet and
contact your vet immediate-
ly if you suspect poisoning in
your herd.

OSU