Your hay may be harming your horse and garden!

[Shari]

I am specifically concerned with the relatively new class of herbicides called ‘pyridine-carboxylic acids.

They are typically designed for use in hayfields, horse pastures, golf courses, right-of-ways, and lawns to kill off unwanted weeds and to remain effective for several months to years.

These herbicides do not impact grasses.


There are a number of compounds that fall into the category of persistent herbicides.

The most prevalent are Clopyralid (Dow Agrosciences), Aminopyralid (Dow Agrosciences, 2005),

Aminocyclopyrachlor (DuPont, 2010), and Picloram (Dow Agrosciences).

Less prevalent compounds in the same class include fluroxypyr, dopyralid, and triclopyr.

Many of these compounds appear on labels in slightly different variations making identification by the untrained applicator or a testing lab difficult.

Many hay sources had used Grazon, specifically, a trade name for a product containing Picloram.

It can take 3 or more years to break down in a manure pile... just imagine what it could be doing to your horse or livestock.

If you use this manure in your garden, it will stunt or kill your Vegetables. I have lost a couple of trees using the manure from my horses, and I have a number of others,

doing very poorly. Is a spendy lesson.

I know this first hand, took me 3 years and watching the Greener World a couple of months ago, to figure out what was going on.

I was pouring good looking hay into my horses, only to see them loose weight.

Loose stools for no apparent reason, on one of them.

Vet (now past Vet, won't use her any more) couldn't figure out what was going on. I had never dealt with this issue before.

So I changed my hay source, my Grey mare is back to normal weight and having no more issues. Everyone is looking and feeling better.

If you have a poor do-er in your pasture, or your garden is stunted or dying off, look to the source of your hay.

(I hayed my Old place in Oregon, never used any thing on it,, horses were fat and happy and my plants and Veggies thrived in their manure)

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I had read this a year or so ago. Told my garden club members about it. I am now burning the soiled hay instead of putting it on the compost. I do have a slow feeder hay bag for times they must be confined. Hay raisers are so proud of their nice, clean bermuda. It is fertilized and weed free! This is why, I believe, horses need a mineral supplement; the hay is so loaded with heavy metals. I am so fortunate that my horses have native pasture.

What about the packaged shavings? I wonder if they are safe? I've been using wheat straw in my chicken house, but am planning to go to shavings when the straw bales are gone. Can it go on my compost?

What about the hay pellets? I am thinking I will contact Standlee and ask; I use the timothy pellets.

I wonder if the Extension office or Dept of Ag could test compost to see if it contains those toxins? I will look into it.

 

[Shari]

I learned about it the hard way.

Never had a problem any where else I lived. Just here.

Told by a Vet that came with the equine Dentist.. the hay in this area of the state, is really poor quality, even if it looks good. Basically fiber and nothing else.
On top of all the toxic long term stuff they put in many of the hay fields here.

Kind'a shocked me.
Was used my hay in the NW, keeping my horses in really good condition.. basically air ferns. And 3 of my horses are from the NW, and used to hay with good nutrients.

So I am changing my feed to Triple Crown 30%, will increase their kelp... they already have a loose mineral mix.

Am not sure about bagged pellets and such. I do know, that Triple Crown Forage, offers organic feed. Once I get the big bills paid off in two years,, going to switch everyone

over to that.

The pine shavings I get, pretty sure they are not toxic... talked with the makers.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Spoke to the lab this afternoon. He said it would be better to test the compost in the spring, before I put it on the garden. He took time to explain about how the herbicides break down. He suggested I have the compost pile tested, as my nitrogen may be too high, since I have chickens.

He said most herbicides are broken down by the animal, but some can go through into manure. My request was not unheard of by him; I guess more and more people have become concerned about the issue.

The test is $325, and tests for more than 200 compounds. Before I consider that, I'll have a soil test done through the County on the compost and check the nitrogen.

 

[Shari]

Best test... grow some Veggies in a pot.. use a 1/4 to 1/2 as manure, the rest top soil. See how the plants grow. If you feed hay, like I was getting, use your horse's manure after a year or two of being composted

... then your Veggies will either be stunted or out right die.

Yes, how the OLD short term Herbicide breaks down. The Newer stuff... doesn't, through the animal or in a compost pile for 3 or more years! Think your Vet needs to read up on the longer term weed killers, along with talking to
the host of the Greener World show. Both of us, have had first hand experience with these long term herbicides. Its not pretty.

Since my chicken manure is mixed with shavings.. balances things out, and I have never had burn doing it this way. Have had it tested in the past.

 

[susanne]

This is not new. It was a big issue several years back, not just here in the NW but nationally, as discussed on Chronicle of the Horse. It is no longer used locally, and I thought it had been run out of town everywhere, but apparently not.

I always use horse manure in my garden and have never had a problem.

 

[Shari]

Never heard of it before I moved here. Wish I did.

Over here, you can get pesticides not sold in other parts of the country. They also heavily spray the GMO crops here, as the GMO plants are not living up to what they are supposed to do.

I had no problems in the NW either.... just here. Sure you remember my beautiful gardens.
Am sure that is why I had not heard of it, before dealing with it first hand. Never had any issues before now.

Just wanted to let others that might not know,, if they are having problems. Check their hay!

 

[AngC]

Hay around here doesn't come with a tag or label listing ingredients. How would you even know?

 

[Shari]

Hay around here doesn't come with a tag or label listing ingredients. How would you even know?

No hay from fields comes with tags. Wish they did though.

How would you know... well...

Your horse won't keep weight up, they can also have slightly loose stool.

If you use their Manure in the garden, your Veggies with either be very stunned or die.

Lost a number of trees too... including my beautiful cherry tree.

There are normally pretty clear signs. Now that I know what to look for that is.

 

[paintponylvr]

Shari -

I don't live that "far" from you = over one state in NC.

Here - the hay growers are pretty "close mouthed" about what they actually used on their fields. Some of them get pretty irate when you start asking questions about what they use on their fields. This year, I got some very pretty hay from my original supplier and I had it tested. IT TESTED AS CRAP!! (Of course, with our current move, I can't find the listing anywhere to go over with ya'll what the actual numbers/percentages are). I was/am very disturbed by that - but it was beautiful and they did eat it - but that was when I had very serious problems with about 1/2 of our 25 shetlands this year... decided to use that as just expensive "throw away" fodder - and started EVERYONE on alfalfa pellets. Got expensive in a hurry - every year for the past 3 years I've fed more and more feed -to maintain weights and keep them looking good...

In the last 4 years, I've had MEGA problems with weight issues, diarrhea - mostly in my young stock but sometimes in my older, tried and true ponies. Had several in the past 3 years that have been sick - to include weight loss, weird fevers & sinus type issues that didn't match up to the current pollen problems or with any rhino/flu. TWO have developed cancer - one a young colt, the other a mare in her mid-teens (w/o testing - don't know if it ties into anything with the hay but seems fishy that in 2 years, 2 unrelated horses develop cancer??). Also - lots of problems with thrush and other foot/hoof issues which the farrier doesn't think is from their fields (all sand and predominantly dry this past year, not wet and no standing water for anyone). Lots of abcess issues - again w/ unrelated horses and in different pastures and w/o being worked in the past year.

One of my hay suppliers sprays w/ a product called Grazon. Another uses "Cimmaron" (spelling?)...

 

[AngC]

No hay from fields comes with tags. Wish they did though.

How would you know... well...

Your horse won't keep weight up, they can also have slightly loose stool.

If you use their Manure in the garden, your Veggies with either be very stunned or die.

Lost a number of trees too... including my beautiful cherry tree.

There are normally pretty clear signs. Now that I know what to look for that is.

No loose stool. Weight "keeping up" is in overdrive. (...fat horses, here.)

I'm not discounting what you say, but, again, how would you know?

I don't put horse poop on our edible garden, mostly because the husband will go out there and do things like yank up an onion and eat it the same way some people eat apples. I always wondered whether horse poop carries an e coli risk. So I only use our horse waste on lawns or flower beds.

 

[Shari]

No loose stool. Weight "keeping up" is in overdrive. (...fat horses, here.)

I'm not discounting what you say, but, again, how would you know?

I don't put horse poop on our edible garden, mostly because the husband will go out there and do things like yank up an onion and eat it the same way some people eat apples. I always wondered whether horse poop carries an e coli risk. So I only use our horse waste on lawns or flower beds.

Then you don't have a problem.

I had fat horses in Oregon, WA and NH too.

Great gardens to boot.

I have already told you, how to figure out if you have a problem. And what to look for. Is really pretty easy.