# Poisonous Hemlock



## downtownjr (Apr 8, 2008)

Great article in Farmworld about this. Here is the article and link.

I for one am seeing this in some pasture I took on this season that has been out of production for about 10 years. Also seeing some in hay fields in the area...even alfalfa fields. Seen a guy balking a field full of it on Friday. It was a field out of production for awhile and he was baling it for the new owner of the ground. They did not even know what they had. I took the part of the pasture that had it and fenced it off, truthfully the cows stayed away from it anyway, but I am burning it (chemically) and till it up and broadcast some pasture mix. That and thistle have been a pain in this pasture ground I took over. I'll get some pictures of it when I remember the camera.

Thanks Kyfred for letting me know about the article.

The article link...
Farm World - weekly farm newspaper source for ag news, classifieds, auctions

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Farm World - The weekly farm newspaper source for ag news, classifieds, auctions

The article...
Poisonous hemlock poses fatal threat to livestock

By TIM THORNBERRY
Kentucky Correspondent

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Forage has been a hot topic so far this year. A dry spring followed by lots of rain left fields full of clover causing problems for cattle producers and now with the first cutting of hay taking place, farmers are being urged to check for poison hemlock.

An invasive weed native to Europe, the plant was introduced as an ornamental in the U.S. in the 1800s and posses a threat as being potentially poisonous if ingested by livestock or humans in both its vegetative growth stages and when dry, according to information from the University of Kentucky (UK) College of Agriculture.

J. D. Green, UK extension weed scientist said the presence of the weed in pastures has been on the rise for the last few years.

"It's been my observation in the last four or five years, especially, that it is a slowly growing progression of a plant that has been around for years typically in non-crop areas like fencerows that weren't taken care of or abandoned areas of a field, but in recent years I'm seeing more of an encroachment to hay fields and pastures," he said.

As that has happened there is more opportunity for the plant being harvested as hay, Green added.

"This is a classic example of one invasive plant problem that has gotten out of hand, but people may not be as alarmed about it as with other invasive plants because they may not know what it is," he said. "There are no state laws that mandate control of it by landowners or along rights-of-way areas."

In some ways the poison hemlock is replacing another invasive weed, musk thistle, becoming more commonplace said Green and growing in the same areas at the same time of the year.
Recognizing the plant, which isn't always easy, is paramount in eradication efforts.

"It's certainly a lot easier to recognize when it is in full flower," said Green. "It is a fairly tall plant and produces white, showy-type flowers when it is in full bloom. The difficulty is learning to recognize the plant in its young vegetative growth stages because it will actually start germinating in the fall of the year."

It then goes dormant in the winter months and starts as vegetative leaves in March and April and then into May it begins to elongate and come off the ground explained Green.

"The time to really control it is back when you can't see it and it's on the ground," he said.

"Unless you know where your problem areas are or what you're looking for, it's not a plant you'll readily see from a distance."
Green noted that herbicides such as 2, 4-D can be applied during the plant's vegetative growth stage in the late winter or early spring or with an herbicide treatment in the fall.

At this point in the season, it's too late for herbicide application so producers can mow the plant before it produces new seeds, which occurs soon after flowering.

"As a whole, we usually don't do a lot of spraying for weeds in pastures. We're doing more than we used to, but it's still not a widespread practice," said Green.

He pointed out another important fact. In some cases, if a producer sprays a more mature plant in a pasture used by livestock, it might attact animals to the plant.

"Typically in a pasture situation, as long as there is other available forage to consume, animals tend to leave it alone, they don't graze it," said Green. "But say the plant is coming off the ground in the spring and it's sprayed with a herbicide, (livestock) may be more tempted to consume the plant, and create some animal loss."

And losses it will create since consumption of the plant is lethal. "This plant is one of the few plants that can kill livestock," Green said.

According to information from the University of Georgia's Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health, "the seeds contain the highest concentration of poison. It contains highly-poisonous alkaloids toxic to all classes of livestock and humans. Human deaths have occurred from harvesting and consuming the roots as wild carrots or parsnips."

In the event the plant has been cut during hay harvesting, Green warned that it still can be dangerous to animals even after it has dried.

"It is my understanding that even when the plant is dry, it can still maintain its toxic compound," he said. "A few plants in a bale with other material to help dilute any potential effect may not be of any consequence, but the potential is there even when the hay is dry." 
6/23/2010


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## nosliw (Feb 8, 2010)

That stuff is everywhere in my neck of the woods. Mainly fencerows and along roadways. Nasty stuff.

I've yet to see any on our place near cattle, but when I do, I'm comin' at it like a spider monkey.


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## wbstofer (Mar 13, 2010)

Yes, it is in northern IN also. Got some in my cattle pasture but I didn't know what it was. Now thanks to the FarmWorld article, I am trying to treat it. Thanks for bringing it to the forums!

-Bill


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## Bruce Hopf (Jun 29, 2016)

Growing up, my Dad, always called it Wild Carrots, and it grew along the road side, along our fields. Dad always made me, go along with a shovel, and chop everything off, by cutting the roots, close to the surface, of the ground. 
I've seen a lot of it growing, in hay fields, not knowing any better, now when I see it growing in my fields, I'll be spraying for it, now, and suggest to any neighbor, I have, with Hay fields, or pasture fields, they may want to do something with it, and about it, as well. Thanks for posting this.


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## JMT (Aug 10, 2013)

I may be totally wrong, but I believe there is another plant that looks alot like helmlock. Don't know what it is but I have heard it called "wild carrots". There is plenty of it out there, and has been there for a long time. I don't know anyone who has ever had a problem with it. Maybe something different or maybe cows don't mess with it.

I would make sure of your identification before you declare war.


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## jr in va (Apr 15, 2015)

Here wild carrot and" Queen Anne's Lace"are the same.White lace flower which is in full bloom now.Poison Hemlock has bloomed and gone to seed.You mostly find it along creeks and wet ground.Cow takes a bite,gets water and dies.The stalk in reddish and hollow with asmaller,tighter bloom than wild carrot.which has a solid green stem.It also has a fine green dust in hay which itches and burns skin.

An old man told my Dad hemlock stalks(few) in hay wouldn't hurt a cow but would kill a horse.

I would post pictures if I could.Google Queen Anee's lace-good pics.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

They came to this are via the railroad, fought the stuff for years along the abandoned tracks that run thru the farm, easy enough to kill though with 2-4d, just have to keep up on em as they are prolific seed producers. Also had a problem in one hay field right by the county garage, would take pruners and cut it out before mowing.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Another thats invading our area that the flowers look a lot alike is the giant hogweed, very nasty stuff, if you find any the IDNR will come and remove it for you.

http://guardianlv.com/2013/06/kill-the-giant-goliath-poisonous-plant-invades-canada-and-us/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heracleum_mantegazzianum


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## jr in va (Apr 15, 2015)

A new one we've been fighting here is spiny amaranth.Hard to kill.Mowing won't do it.Seems to grow best where heavy feeding was done.


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