By JERRY LITTLE
Ag Notes

In recent months, evidence of poison hemlock is widespread in Kentucky. Poison hemlock is toxic to a wide variety of animals including birds, wildlife, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and horses.

Although, cattle seldom eat hemlock, they will if no other forage is available or if it is incorporated in hay or silage. A common question is how much do cattle need to eat to kill them. Unfortunately, the answer is not clear cut. There is considerable variation in the toxic alkaloid content of the plant depending on stage of growth, season, moisture, temperature, time of day and geographical region (southern plants are more toxic than northern plants). The alkaloids have two major effects: rapid, sometimes fatal effects on the nervous system, and birth defects in calves and pigs. Cattle have died by eating as little as 0.2-0.5 percent of their body weight in green hemlock.

Although this plant is often seen along roadways, abandoned lots, fencerows and other non-cropland sites, in more recent years, it has expanded out into grazed pasture lands and hay fields. Poison hemlock is classified as a biennial that reproduces only by seed. It is capable, however, of completing its lifecycle as a winter annual in Kentucky if it germinates during the fall. Flowers and new seed are typically produced in late May and June. Plants emerge as a cluster of leaves that form a rosette. Poison hemlock is most noticeable at this stage of growth in late fall through early spring with its parsley-like leaves which are highly dissected or fern-like. The individual leaves are shiny green and triangular in appearance.

As the plant begins to send up flower stalks, the leaves are alternately arranged on the main stem. Each individual leaf is pinnately compound with several pairs of leaflets that appear along opposite sides of the main petiole. As the plant matures, poison hemlock can grow upwards to about six to eight feet tall. At maturity, the plant is erect, often with multi-branched stems, and it forms a deep taproot. Poison hemlock has smooth, hollow stems with random purple spots along the lower stem that help distinguish it from other similar plants. The flowers, when mature, are white and form a series of compound umbels (an umbrella-shaped cluster of small flowers) at the end of each terminal stalk. Although poison hemlock is often associated with areas that have moist soil conditions, it can also survive in dry sites.

Symptoms of poisoning can occur within 30 minutes to two hours of ingestion depending on the animal, quantity consumed and other ecological factors. Toxicity varies depending on the stage of plant growth, location and environment. Poison hemlock foliage has an unpleasant mouse urine-like odor, detectable when near the plant or when a stem or leaf is crushed, so livestock generally avoid it.

Although acute disease is a primary concern, an equally serious problem is subacute intoxication of pregnant livestock that causes deformed bones and joints in calves and pigs. For this to happen, cows must eat the plants for an extended period of time during the first trimester of pregnancy. The susceptible stage of gestation for maternal exposure for cattle is from 50-75 days for skeletal defects to occur. These alkaloids continuously reduce fetal movement during tissue formation, resulting in crooked legs, deformed necks and spines. Less commonly, cleft palate results from lack of fetal movement in the head and neck regions at 30-50 days gestation, resulting in the tongue preventing normal palate closure during embryo development.

All parts of the plant, including the seeds, contain the toxic alkaloids. Ingestion of fresh, green plant material may quickly produce signs of intoxication within an hour and last for several hours. Seeds and dried plant material contain the highest concentrations of the most troubling alkaloid. Toxicity may be somewhat reduced in dried plants due to volatility of the alkaloids, but the potential for toxicity still exists, particularly when a sufficient quantity is consumed in dried hay. Seeds are highly toxic and can be a source of poisoning when they contaminate cereal grains fed to livestock. Use extreme caution before feeding animals hay or grain known to contain poison hemlock.

The principle strategy for poison hemlock control is to prevent seed production which can be a challenge since a fully mature plant is capable of producing 35,000 – 40,000 new seeds. It is too late to use herbicide control methods after plants have produced flowers. Therefore, you should use mechanical control efforts such as mowing or cutting down individual plants just before peak flower production to avoid or reduce the amount of new seed being produced.

Make note of areas heavily infested with poison hemlock and begin to look for emergence of new plants in the fall. During the late fall in November, or early spring, March is the best time of year for herbicide treatment. In grass pastures and hayfields herbicide products containing 2,4-D can be effective when applied to young, actively growing plants that are in the rosette stage of growth. Spot treatments with products containing 2,4-D, triclopyr, or glyphosate can also be used depending on the location.

For more information on recognizing or controlling poison hemlock, contact the Boyle County Extension office.

Jerry Little is the county extension agent for agriculture/natural resources.