Grass linked to Texas cattle deaths
A cattle ranch in Elgin, Texas., where 15 head died after grazing in a field. Tests showed the grass they ingested was producing
cyanide gas.
(CBS News) ELGIN, Texas - A mysterious mass death of a herd of cattle has prompted a federal investigation in Central Texas.
Preliminary test results are blaming the deaths on the grass the cows were eating when they got sick, reports CBS Station KEYE.
The cows dropped dead several weeks ago on an 80-acre ranch owned by Jerry Abel in Elgin, just east of Austin.
Abel says he's been using the fields for cattle grazing and hay for 15 years. "A lot of leaf, it's good grass, tested high for protein - it should have been perfect," he told KEYE correspondent Lisa Leigh Kelly.
The grass is a hybrid form of Bermuda known as Tifton 85 which has been growing here for 15 years, feeding Abel's 18 head of Corriente cattle.
What is more worrisome: Other farmers have tested their Tifton 85 grass, and several in Bastrop County have found their fields are also toxic with cyanide. However, no other cattle have died.
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture are dissecting the grass to determine if there might have been some strange, unexpected mutation.
Until it can be determined why this grass suddenly began producing cyanide, Abel is keep his livestock far away.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57459357/gm-grass-linked-to-texas-cattle-deaths/The Government, Researcher, Monsanto Triangle
Apparently, the esteemed Dr. Larry Redmon was able to see some rather negative possibilities and even wrote a document titled, “Potential Toxicity Issues with Tifton 85 Bermuda grass” that used to appear on the Hays County Agriculture and Natural Resources webpage. It was pulled early this morning (June 26, 2012). Currently the page now reads, “Sorry, the page you were looking for in this blog does not exist.” Hmmmm......
In 2007 a particular GMO experiment was ended. Is it possible that genetic pollution mutated the grass in question? It would seem highly unlikely an experiment conducted as far away as Florida would have repercussions in Texas involving a field of grass that was planted 15 years ago. However, the experiment contains some very interesting statements. Apparently, the US government issued a special grant for Project # FLA-AGR-04224 which began on 9/15/2004 and ended 9/14/2007. The sponsoring institution for the project was NIFA (National Institute of Food and Agriculture). It was instigated and run by the University of Florida.
Stated under GOALS/OBJECTIVES: “...We propose to generate transgenic bermudagrass and seashore paspalum...” Stated under the heading Non Technical Summary: “Pesticide application in warm-season turf and forage grasses is cost intensive and a potential hazard for health and the environment. The purpose of this project is to reduce pesticide applications by developing transgenic turf and forage grasses, which produce insecticidal cry-proteins in their leaves. The transgenic grasses will also be evaluated for resistance to the insect pest fall armyworm.”
http://www.reeis.usda.gov/web/crisprojectpages/0201085-molecular-improvement-for-insect-resistance-in-turf-and-forage-grasses.html I looked up NIFA and read through the webpage. Interestingly enough, the posted information claims that “The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), part of the executive branch of the Federal Government. Congress created NIFA through the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008.” I'm not sure how they could only have been created in 2008 if they were responsible for sponsoring a project that began in 2004 and ended a year before their creation.
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/about/background.html The project director is listed as one M. Gallo-Meagher. This same name appears on a paper written about blight and kernel discoloration in barley. A co-writer for the paper is R.C. De la Pena whose address is listed as Monsanto Company, St. Louis, MO 63198, USA. Gallo-Meagher is identified as being with the Agronomy Department, University of Florida. The paper in question was published 13 years ago. Gallo-Meagher has also co-authored a number of publications with J.E. Irvine, of Texas A&M agricultural research center. There's another Hmmmmm....
Monsanto has had quite a history with the University of Florida. Now some might say that it's to be expected considering Monsanto's business is biotechnology in agriculture. But I question just how close and intertwined are the interests of NIFA, UF and Monsanto, who has endowed a professorship at the university for the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. So appreciative is the university, that they invited Monsanto to feature its exhibition and brand in the middle of their campus back in February. The title of the mobile exhibition was “America's Farmers,” which Monsanto surely doesn't represent with their ruthless tactics and shameless attacks on small farmers over the encroachment of GMO crops into non-GMO fields. It might also interest you to know that the University of Florida did much of the research on BGH (hormone that stimulates milk production in cows) and has received $millions in gifts and grants from Monsanto who pushes the drug Prosilac (hormone in question).
Excuse me, but the dead cattle are dead as a result of being grass fed, and there is no stipulation that organic beef isn't eating the same types of “hybrid” grasses. In fact, to be labeled organic, the cattle must be fed 100% organic feed.
That's right, folks, the big bad pharmacology industry has been in bed with the beef industry for years. These are two huge industries throwing money at our government representatives in order to assure their continued dominance over the population.
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