GM grass linked to Texas cattle deaths

PaleoPath4Lyfe

All it takes is one instance of that Genetically Modified wheat, corn or soy to mutate and this is the pandemic humans would have on their hands.

(CBS News) ELGIN, Texas - A mysterious mass death of a herd of cattle has prompted a federal investigation in Central Texas.


Preliminary test results are blaming the deaths on the grass the cows were eating when they got sick, reports CBS Station KEYE.


The cows dropped dead several weeks ago on an 80-acre ranch owned by Jerry Abel in Elgin, just east of Austin.


Abel says he's been using the fields for cattle grazing and hay for 15 years. "A lot of leaf, it's good grass, tested high for protein - it should have been perfect," he told KEYE correspondent Lisa Leigh Kelly.


The grass is a genetically-modified form of Bermuda known as Tifton 85 which has been growing here for 15 years, feeding Abel's 18 head of Corriente cattle. Corriente are used for team roping because of their small size and horns.


"When we opened that gate to that fresh grass, they were all very anxious to get to that," said Abel.


Three weeks ago, the cattle had just been turned out to enjoy the fresh grass, when something went terribly wrong.


"When our trainer first heard the bellowing, he thought our pregnant heifer may be having a calf or something," said Abel. "But when he got down here, virtually all of the steers and heifers were on the ground. Some were already dead, and the others were already in convulsions."


Within hours, 15 of the 18 cattle were dead.


"That was very traumatic to see, because there was nothing you could do, obviously, they were dying," said Abel.


Preliminary tests revealed the Tifton 85 grass, which has been here for years, had suddenly started producing cyanide gas, poisoning the cattle.


"Coming off the drought that we had the last two years ... we're concerned it was a combination of events that led us to this," Dr. Gary Warner, an Elgin veterinarian and cattle specialist who conducted the 15 necropsies, told Kelly.


What is more worrisome: Other farmers have tested their Tifton 85 grass, and several in Bastrop County have found their fields are also toxic with cyanide. However, no other cattle have died.


Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture are dissecting the grass to determine if there might have been some strange, unexpected mutation.


Until it can be determined why this grass suddenly began producing cyanide, Abel is keep his livestock far away.


"The grasshoppers are enjoying it now," he said.

jennifershoo

Horrible! I hate GMOs. I hate that industries are forcing us to eat them and hide them in everything.

PaleoPath4Lyfe

Horrible! I hate GMOs. I hate that industries are forcing us to eat them and hide them in everything.

One of my reasons for cutting out grains and purchasing local and in season fruits and veggies from local farmers, CSA membership, my sister and growing some of my own too.

I pretty much refuse to purchase food from grocery stores if it is not necessary (which really nothing is necessary when I can get things other places and make my own on others).

I won't support that industry and can't support the grocery stores until they demand labelling so you know what to stay away from.

busywaterbending

it's likely from the oil fields not the grass. Gas leaks from the wells and the pipelines are a common occurence here! An off gassing line will kill off cows. That happens allot in TX, and then chupacabra and ufos get the blame. First I've heard of mutated grass. I'd wait for more hard evidence, being someone who works first hand with an air engineer in the know. If you only knew how the oil boom is happening here....

yarwell

The grass is not GM, but the cyanide is likely the problem :-

http://haysagriculture.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/potential-toxicity-issues-with-tifton.html

Also...

"Tifton 85, developed by Dr. Glen Burton, is a hybrid bermudagrass produced
from the crossing of a South African grass and Tifton 68 which is highly digestible but
susceptible to cold. Tifton 85 is distinguished from other bermudagrasses by its thicker
stem and broader leaves; it is also sterile and does not produce any seed. It is taller than
other bermudagrasses, with a darker green color and has very large, fast growing stolons.
Since being released in 1991, Tifton 85 has been the subject for research in productivity
and economy as compared to Coastal bermudagrass, also developed by Dr. Burton. "

from http://fanninswcd.com/Newsletters/nletter-13-3-1-Tifton_85.pdf

PaleoPath4Lyfe

it's likely from the oil fields not the grass. Gas leaks from the wells and the pipelines are a common occurence here! An off gassing line will kill off cows. That happens allot in TX, and then chupacabra and ufos get the blame. First I've heard of mutated grass. I'd wait for more hard evidence, being someone who works first hand with an air engineer in the know. If you only knew how the oil boom is happening here....

Still want nothing to do with GMO's as I believe they are not safe.

PaleoPath4Lyfe

The grass is not GM, but the cyanide is likely the problem :-

http://haysagriculture.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/potential-toxicity-issues-with-tifton.html

Also...

"Tifton 85, developed by Dr. Glen Burton, is a hybrid bermudagrass produced
from the crossing of a South African grass and Tifton 68 which is highly digestible but
susceptible to cold. Tifton 85 is distinguished from other bermudagrasses by its thicker
stem and broader leaves; it is also sterile and does not produce any seed. It is taller than
other bermudagrasses, with a darker green color and has very large, fast growing stolons.
Since being released in 1991, Tifton 85 has been the subject for research in productivity
and economy as compared to Coastal bermudagrass, also developed by Dr. Burton. "

from http://fanninswcd.com/Newsletters/nletter-13-3-1-Tifton_85.pdf

Yes it is genetically modified.

yarwell

Yes it is genetically modified.

In what way ?

It's a conventionally bred F1 hybrid, isn't it ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F1_hybrid
http://www.tifton.uga.edu/fat/tifton85.htm

jcreynolds98

Yes it is an F1 hybrid. There are many hybrids on the market and that are used in the world. All organisms that are composed of genes have the ability to mutate in some form or fashion. A GMO crop occurs when plant scientists actually extract DNA from an organism, remove the desired traits, and inject that DNA into another organism. That is one way that pesticide resistant crops are developed.

jennifershoo

Horrible! I hate GMOs. I hate that industries are forcing us to eat them and hide them in everything.

One of my reasons for cutting out grains and purchasing local and in season fruits and veggies from local farmers, CSA membership, my sister and growing some of my own too.

I pretty much refuse to purchase food from grocery stores if it is not necessary (which really nothing is necessary when I can get things other places and make my own on others).

I won't support that industry and can't support the grocery stores until they demand labelling so you know what to stay away from.

Nicely said, my friend! I'm with you. I do what you do as well (except growing my own grains!)

susannamarie

It is a hybrid (read:crossbreed) between different strains of grass.

If this is GMO, so is a labradoodle.

cheshirechic

Scary.

yarwell

It is a hybrid (read:crossbreed) between different strains of grass.
If this is GMO, so is a labradoodle.

So just another pile of BS from the green / red end of the spectrum.

NotGivingUpDammit

It is a hybrid (read:crossbreed) between different strains of grass.
If this is GMO, so is a labradoodle.

So just another pile of BS from the green / red end of the spectrum.

I think it's more a case of city people who would probably run away from a cow if they saw one writing about agriculture news they don't understand.

It was actually prussic acid poisoning. That sometimes happens when cows eat Johnson grass that has frozen and thaws again. The only thing that makes it unusual is that it never happened in Tifton 85 before. However, stargrass, one component of Tifton, has been known to produce prussic acid.