When Ensiling Grasses, Don’t Forget the Risk of Listeria

Stan Smith, PA, OSU Extension, Fairfield County

In a recent memo to OSU Extension Beef Team members, Ohio Beef Industry Center coordinator Francis Fluharty reminded us about the potential for Listeria issues to surface. Fluharty says that if you are making baleage, and it’s too wet to make a round bale, but too dry to make a good baleage bale, you stand an increased risk of having a poor fermentation, resulting in mold. Those are the conditions where Listeria monocytogenes functions best. The result is the risk of getting Listeria (circling disease) next winter in the animals being fed the poorly fermented forage. Fluharty reminds that once you see the symptoms, it’s typically too late for the cow!

In the article below, Dr. Shulaw details why Continue reading