More livestock deaths reported from hemlock

Hill County Weed Control District Supervisor Terry Turner Tuesday gave an update on an issue he raised Thursday at the month's Hill County County Officials meeting - three horses died from eating water hemlock found in Bear Paw Mountain pastures.

Turner said Monday that someone told him they had lost a number of cattle from water hemlock.

He added to treat it one should use aquatic 2, 4-D herbicides.

"Look it up and learn to identify the plant, and if you do find it make sure you have gloves on and probably best to leave it completely alone and treat it with a herbicide," he said.

Turner added that there is a difference in poison hemlock and water hemlock and that the water hemlock is much more poisonous than the poison hemlock.

He said both types of hemlock can be found along waterways. 

Montana State University Professor of Range Science and Extension Range Nanagement Specialist Jeff Mosely said in an email to Hill County Commissioner Mark Peterson that Peterson forwarded to the Havre Daily News that "all parts of the plant are toxic-flowers, seeds, leaves, stems and roots." 

"Poisoning is most often a problem when there isn't much else forage for the livestock to eat, such as very early spring before the grass has grown much or in overgrazed areas. Supposedly the leaves have a bitter taste, although I can't confirm that personally for obvious reasons," Mosely said in the email. "I can confirm that the leaves tend to have a musty odor which probably also deters livestock from eating them.

"This year, it seems like poison hemlock is staying green longer than most years, so I think that helps explain why it might be causing more poisoning right now than it normally does this time of year," he added. "The poison hemlock is still green and the grass is curing."

He added that the toxicity in poison hemlock is caused by a group of five alkaloids that affect the central nervous system. Livestock would only need to consume 0.1 to 0.5 percent of their body weight to kill them. 

It is not only toxic to livestock such as cattle, horses, sheep and more, but also toxic to humans too. 

Mosely told Peterson that he was on a ranch near Big Timber last week and noticed poisonous hemlock was very prominent.

"Landowners should just watch for the plant, treat it whenever they see it (probably only notice it in the flowering year of its biennial growth) and kill it before it produces viable seed," Mosely said in his email.