Herbicide Safety for Grazing Animals

Grazing animals need to be protected from herbicide use.

Grazing animals can be negatively affected by herbicides. Although using herbicides is sometimes necessary, reducing their use and taking precautions will ensure the safety of your grazing animals.

Malnutrition

A grazing animal, like a sheep, goat, cow, llama, alpaca or horse, may exhibit malnutrition as a symptom of herbicide overuse. Herbicides can affect the nutrient value of grass, soil and other plants that animals eat, causing malnutrition.

Illness

While it would be difficult to identify a specific illness caused by an herbicide in an animal, animals that are getting sick frequently could be showing the effects of herbicide overuse. Herbicides can deplete the immune system, making an animal more susceptible to cancers, viruses, parasites or bacteria.

Design Function

Design the eating area of your grazing animals, whether it's a large pasture or a barnyard, so that it is away from any fields or gardens that might be sprayed with herbicides. Placing a pasture or barnyard in a well-drained area that gets a lot of sun and stays otherwise healthy will reduce your need for herbicides.

Prevention/Solution

You can keep your animals safe from pesticides by reducing or eliminating your use of herbicides altogether. Use organic methods of weed reduction like a fire torch (garden centers sell them specifically for weed use), rototilling or goats (goats actually prefer most weeds to grass).

Warning

If you do spray an herbicide and you have grazing animals, be sure that you are spraying on a day that is not windy to reduce drifting to an animal's feeding area and that you have read the label carefully and understand any inherent risks.

References

• University of Nebraska: Weed Control Newsletter
• North Dakota State University: Controlling Leafy Spurge Using Goats and Sheep

Resources

• Colorado State University: Weed Management for Small Rural Acreages