# will cattle eat cane



## jamesntexas (Mar 7, 2012)

Just curious, we have cane around here on the side of the roads mostly, in ditches and around bridges and waterways etc. I have an area that floods and holds water for awhile in the winter, spring months. Its not a huge area but nothing really grows there now but cuckleburs and i thought maybe cows could benefit from it. If they wont eat it is there any reason why it would harm them? i dont know if theres any difference in the varietys but i would assume it would be fine if they did but you neverknow soim asking.---Was told it was called georgia cane.---any reason why i shouldnt get it started i would like to know.--thanks.


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## hillside hay (Feb 4, 2013)

sounds more like a variety of reed. Our cows grazed them all year in some of the wetter paddocks. If the growth got too mature they wouldn't touch em. We had a murray gray that would even eat burdock in the vegetative stage. I don't know why cause I tried it and found it to be quite bitter. But, she loved it and I liked that she would clean up a nuisance weed for me.


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## jamesntexas (Mar 7, 2012)

It might be a reed i dunno. i dont know how tall a reed will get.This stuff will grow 12 ft tall. Guess i will ask an old timer around here. Im guessing if cows would eat it everyone would be doing it. It would be worth it to do it just for erosion control and maybe give the deer a place to hide and even for a windbreak.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

jamesntexas said:


> It might be a reed i dunno. i dont know how tall a reed will get.This stuff will grow 12 ft tall. Guess i will ask an old timer around here. Im guessing if cows would eat it everyone would be doing it.


Not a reed at 12 feet tall...sounds like cane to me....and no, cattle will not eat it. We have plenty growing along the river here at my place and when I kept beef they never grazed on it. It will control erosion but is very aggressive and will soon be in places that you do not want it if not contained. It is very difficult to kill and there is just one herbicide that will kill it that I am aware of...cannot recall the name off the top of my head but I will go to my chem storage and see what the name is on the bottle.

Regards, Mike


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## eam77 (Aug 4, 2013)

By cane, I assume "fishing cane"- perhaps it is somehow related to bamboo. Yes, cattle will eat it, especially in the winter and early spring. I have about 3/4 mile along a small river with some cane. They won't tear down mature cane- maybe 12 to 16 feet tall. But they will work small cane, and ride down and eat the tops out of medium size cane, 6-10 feet tall. My cows did well on the cane the times I have turned in on it. Expect the manure to be really green. Lastly, the cane in my area is not healthy, and stands are dying out. This includes mine that is sometimes grazed, and surrounding areas where there are no cattle. It's getting hard to find enough cane to do my pole beans with.


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