Nitrates in Silage Fast-growing crops can accumulate nitrates under dry weather conditions. This is most common in corn, but sorghums, sudangrass, millets, cereals, and Italian ryegrass can all accumulate high levels of nitrates and potentially cause nitrate poisoning in livestock. Why are high nitrate levels a problem? Nitrates (NO3-N) are converted to nitrites (NO2-N) in the rumen. Normally, the…
Nitrates
With the dry weather this year and low forage yields across much of the province, many producers are looking for alternative forages. There is a lot of stressed corn that could be utilized as forage for livestock. The amount of moisture stress that the corn has been through can affect the quality of the silage and there can be great…