Poisonous plants are a major cause of economic loss to the livestock industry. Two poisonous plants common to Oregon are poison hemlock and Western water hemlock. Ingestion of either by humans or livestock typically results in death.
Silage-making has been used to reduce the concentrations of toxins in a variety of crops. But in the case of poison hemlock, the opposite is true — making silage out of it actually increases one of its toxic alkaloids.
Companion planting can attract beneficial insects, serve as a trap crop for pests, improve soil health, and much more. This list was created by a retail nursery employee and offers some suggestions of herbs and flowers that can be used as companions to vegetable crops.
Forage quality of common pasture weeds was determined through laboratory testing to compare feed value of weeds to desirable forage species and nutrient requirements for grazing livestock.
Shelby Filley, Andy Hulting, Amy Peters |
May 2010 |
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Photo Credit: HDDA Photography, Adobe Stock (Cropped from original)
Q: I live in a forested area of Deschutes County. I think that deadfall (cut trunks laying on the forest floor) left to decompose improves the health of the forest, but I am wondering if it also increases fire risk.