Pastures are suffering from the heat and a lack of water here in Butler County, Ohio.

A pasture I was in last week had little grass and a bit of white clover left for the animals to consume. The tallest plant in the field was Indian hemp, not a good situation. Also known as dogbane, this plant is very poisonous to animals.

Livestock normally won’t bother plants that will make them sick when there is enough grass in the pasture. When the toxic plants are the only plants that are still green, they become more desirable to the animals as feed.

If you are a livestock producer, you should know some of the more common toxic weeds and plants. Plants are more difficult to control when drought stressed but after the next shower, you may want to spot spray with one of the pasture herbicides.

Remember most broadleaf herbicides will take out the clover in the swad. There are at least ten grass pasture herbicides labeled for control of broadleaf plants.

In the 2007 edition of the OSU, Purdue Extension, Weed Control Guide, pages 164 and 165, you can find which herbicide is going to give you the best results for the weeds in your pasture.

You can download the tables from www.ohioline.osu.edu, or get a hard copy of the bulletin at the Extension Office. If spot spraying isn’t practical, you can at least clip the weeds to make them less desirable as forage.

To learn more about toxic plants, go to www.ohioline.osu.edu, search poison plants and click on Horse Nutrition, Bulletin 762-00, poisonous plants. There are excellent pictures and a short description of over 21 plants that can be a concern in pastures.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Steve Bartels may write to him in care of this publication.