Grass disease hits Waikato cows

Many Waikato dairy herds are suffering from serious cases of ryegrass staggers (RGS) this season, according to AgResearch geneticist Chris Morris. RGS is a toxin from the pasture which causes cattle to have trouble with walking reports the Waikato Times. Mr Morris said the condition made moving the cattle more difficult when a farm dog was involved."A lot of animals just end up standing still and there is a lot of head movement instead of running away," he said. Researchers have been studying the genetics of RGS susceptibility in sheep for 20 years and have found that it is a heritable trait. And now preliminary data collected in cows has convinced Mr Morris that the trait is also heritable in cattle, and he is calling for people with cattle who are suffering from serious cases of RGS to contact him. "Could any concerned farmers please send in information on the worst five 10 cows, or even the worst 20 cows in the herd, particularly all those that have been dried off because of difficulty handling them with RGS," he said. Farmers can send their names, phone number, herd size and a list of cows to chris.morris@agresearch.co.nz or fax it to 07 838 5013. For each cow Mr Morris asks that farmers provide the identification number, age and sire identification.