Chemical Agents Causing Disease/Illness

Chemical agents cause poisoning. Some chemical agents, such as poisonous plants, maybe biological by their nature, but it is the chemical in the plant that is toxic. Although chemical poisoning can happen with livestock, it is less frequently the cause of illness than a biological agent. To avoid chemical-induced illness:

1. Learn about the poisonous plants that grow in your area of the country.
2. Store feed properly, and never store any kind of chemical products – including cleaning products – near your feed or where animals may gain access to it.
3. If you’re using any chemical products around your farm, make sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for containers. A farmer we read about had a number of cows poisoned from eating hay. It turned out that some empty chemical bags had blown out into his windows of hay as they were drying. The bags got baled with the hay. Certainly, this tragic experience could have been prevented by the proper disposal of the bags.
4. If animals are kept indoors in an old building containing lead-based paint, lead poisoning may be a problem.
5. When grazing, keep animals away from fields that have recently been sprayed with fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. Field contamination from sprays may be the result of someone else’s operation.