Mark Keaton: Be on guard; grass tetany season nears
Baxter Bulletin
Beef cattle producers can expect grass tetany to become more of a threat to animals as soon as green grass begins emerging in pastures.
Tetany isn’t unique to poorly run cattle and forage operations. It often occurs on better-managed farms, where the soil gets high rates of nitrogen and potassium from poultry litter or commercial fertilizer.
Grass tetany typically occurs in mature, lactating cows. It more commonly affects cows that are slightly over-conditioned and would likely be referred to as the “best” cows in the herd. However, it also can affect cows with a very poor body-condition score that are excessively thin. Younger animals in the herd rarely have problems with this disease.
