# Is johnson grass bad?



## darbyfamily (Mar 16, 2005)

for cows? Here is the land we just signed a contract on today!!!!! and it has this huge thing of Johnson grass in the middle of the 'field' part of it... wondering what we should do with it or about it... its over 8 ft tall and i thought I'd read somewhere that johnson grass is bad for cows?










So...I'll have an acre and a half of pasture land for the cows  and may find some place to rent for a few months each year while we let stuff grow up again.


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## james dilley (Mar 21, 2004)

Cows will just Love you for it, Its A HOT weather grass from Africa. Its A real good Pasture grass.


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## BrokeFarmer (Jun 17, 2007)

Cows seem to like it, mine do, and best I recall It has a decent amount of protein. In times of severe drought it can be high in prussic acid and nitrate levels. If you havent been afflicted by the drought, you have no worries.


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## georgec (Jul 9, 2007)

Johnson grass can be poisonous to cattle, during drought, and after a frost.


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## Stephen in SOKY (Jun 6, 2006)

georgec said:


> Johnson grass can be poisonous to cattle, during drought, and after a frost.


And, it absolutely ruins any crops/garden you may plan in the area. It's a market gardeners nightmare. Boy, I'm cheerful aren't I? Seriously, please consider eradicating it (If you can) before it spreads further. Rhizome J-grass is nearly impossible to kill.


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## Sunraven (Jan 20, 2007)

Cows love it.


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## darbyfamily (Mar 16, 2005)

ROFl, definitely NOT a drought.... in Ark City Kansas...major flooding just a couple of months back  I figured if the cows like it, then they'll take care of it and we wont have it for long.. the cows will likely eradicate it Stephen 

THANKS!


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

my range and nutrition teacher back in Collage had some Herferds walk out into a field of Johnson grass durring a drought and were fairly quickly poisoned with the nitrate levels, the problem is that durring a drought its usually the greenest thing out there,


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## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

We used to have a hay meadow of johnson grass. Sometimes it would get taller than the cows. They ate it for years and we baled many bales of hay from it.
It looked sort of funny when a herd of 1600lb cows and 2000lb bulls could disappear in the grass.


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## matt_man (Feb 11, 2006)

darbyfamily said:


> ROFl, definitely NOT a drought.... in Ark City Kansas...major flooding just a couple of months back  I figured if the cows like it, then they'll take care of it and we wont have it for long.. the cows will likely eradicate it Stephen
> 
> THANKS!


We have a patch in our backyard where we let the cows graze. They eat it down to knubs but it just keeps coming back. They will not likely eradicate it on their own.

Rachel


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## darbyfamily (Mar 16, 2005)

so pretty much, if it gets to be a drought, we should put some portable fence around it to keep the cows out? but if we've had enough rain, they're safe to eat it


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## ericakc (Jun 29, 2006)

It seems odd to have that patch of Johnson grass in an otherwise well-mown lawn. You might check for a pile of boards with rusty nails or the like before putting cows on it.


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## darbyfamily (Mar 16, 2005)

That was kinda my thoughts too... why is it there? wondering about getting a goat and putting it in with the grass and letting it eat it down til we can see whats there and then clean it up or deal with whatever it is....


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## 2horses (Jul 19, 2004)

I can almost guarantee there is indeed something *hiding* in the pile, and you'd actually be better off getting a heavy-duty weed whacker and cut the JG down to the ground.


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## dheat (Jul 27, 2005)

Put a pig (or pigs) to work. I just read this yesterday: http://www.ottermoon.com/articles.php?lng=en&pg=114&prt=1.

Doug


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## mtman (Sep 2, 2004)

the people that said it could poison is correct and when bailed it should have dried out very well


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## TulleyJohnMyers (Mar 14, 2007)

I bet it started from someone feeding a bale of johnson grass hay in thet spot


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## Oxankle (Jun 20, 2003)

The comments about prussic acid and WHEN johnson grass is dangerous are correct. Cattle love the stuff, but they will not kill it out. If you want it eradicated you will have to either put pigs on it or spray it with roundup. 

It is very sensitive to roundup and a light touch of it will kill it leaf, stem and root. However, you will miss some of it (too thick to get good coverage) and so when it starts up again, hit it again. 

If you walk through the patch and find nothing dangerous, let the cows have it. However, I would sure walk through it carefully first. I suspect a pile of old wire, maybe some old implements, a brushpile, a pile of trash, old autos, etc.

I have it in my pasture. It never gets very far before it is nipped off. It is tasty and the cows will eat it first, then go to other grasses.

Ox


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