Genetically modified grass linked to Texas cattle deaths
The grass is a genetically-modified form of Bermuda known as Tifton 85 which has been growing here for 15 years, feeding Abel's 18 head of Corriente cattle. Corriente are used for team roping because of their small size and horns.
"When we opened that gate to that fresh grass, they were all very anxious to get to that," said Abel.
Three weeks ago, the cattle had just been turned out to enjoy the fresh grass, when something went terribly wrong.
"When our trainer first heard the bellowing, he thought our pregnant heifer may be having a calf or something," said Abel. "But when he got down here, virtually all of the steers and heifers were on the ground. Some were already dead, and the others were already in convulsions."
Within hours, 15 of the 18 cattle were dead.
"That was very traumatic to see, because there was nothing you could do, obviously, they were dying," said Abel.
Preliminary tests revealed the Tifton 85 grass, which has been here for years, had suddenly started producing cyanide gas, poisoning the cattle.
(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 genetically-modified form of Bermuda known as Tifton 85 which has been growing here for 15 years, feeding Abel's 18 head of Corriente cattle. Corriente are used for team roping because of their small size and horns.
"When we opened that gate to that fresh grass, they were all very anxious to get to that," said Abel.
Three weeks ago, the cattle had just been turned out to enjoy the fresh grass, when something went terribly wrong.
"When our trainer first heard the bellowing, he thought our pregnant heifer may be having a calf or something," said Abel. "But when he got down here, virtually all of the steers and heifers were on the ground. Some were already dead, and the others were already in convulsions."
Within hours, 15 of the 18 cattle were dead.
"That was very traumatic to see, because there was nothing you could do, obviously, they were dying," said Abel.
Preliminary tests revealed the Tifton 85 grass, which has been here for years, had suddenly started producing cyanide gas, poisoning the cattle.
"Coming off the drought that we had the last two years ... we're concerned it was a combination of events that led us to this," Dr. Gary Warner, an Elgin veterinarian and cattle specialist who conducted the 15 necropsies, told Kelly.
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.
June 25, 2012 2:10 PM PrintText Grass tied to Texas cattle deaths hybrid, not GM
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. (KEYE)
(CBS News) The recent deaths of 15 head of cattle in Bastrop County have been linked to the grass in the field where they were grazing, which tests indicated produced cyanide gas.
The findings were first reported by CBS Station KEYE in Austin.
Federal officials are investigating whether a random mutation of the grass variety was responsible.
However, it was incorrectly reported that the grass the cows ingested - a form of Bermuda grass known as Tifton 85 - was a genetically modified organism.
In fact, Tifton 85 is a hybrid, not a GM organism.
Hybrids are plants in which horticulturalists have crossed varieties of two or more plants in order to cultivate the most desirable characteristics of each, a process which has been used by farmers for centuries.
According to the Georgia Seed Development Commission, Tifton 85 is a Bermuda grass hybrid developed in the mid-1980s as a hay grass that could withstand cold temperatures.
It was a grass which Elgin, Texas rancher Jerry Abel has used for 15 years without incident, until several of his herd died.
An official at the Department of Agriculture told CBS News that there are currently no genetically modified grasses on the market or bring grown for public use or consumption.
In Kentucky there were similar reports of unexplained deaths among thoroughbred horses, under identical conditions. The deaths occurred when the horses grazed new fields, after drought conditions. University of Kentucky researchers concluded that the toxic levels of cyanide/prussic acid poisoning resulted from a burgeoning infestation of caterpillar larvae, usually a minimal problem under normal weather conditions.
Reply to this comment ...by Kay_Carr June 25, 2012 6:16 PM EDT
The correction to the false information on the plant identification is appreciated. Continuing to follow-up by correctly identifying the toxic principle (prussic acid) and the nature of the problem (long-documented and not at all "mysterious", much less "mass deaths") would be a good continuing step. Remedial training for all staff members in a) basic Science and b) basic research would be an excellent follow-on. It's probably too late to restore public confidence in our so-called "free press" - but it's still the right thing to do.
Reply to this comment ...by jlf799 June 25, 2012 3:08 PM EDT
Glad this is corrected, all be it too little, too late. Now how about correcting the 'cyanide gas' statement. It was not cyanide gas being released from the grass, it is suspected, but not confirmed, to be Prussic Acid.
Reply to this comment ..by qcislander June 25, 2012 11:05 PM EDT
Just so you know, "jlf799"...
Prussic acid is simply an alternative name for hydrogen cyanide. It's a liquid that boils and becomes a vapor (cyanide gas) a little below most mammals' body temperature. If a plant produces "prussic acid", it becomes hydrogen cyanide gas on warming after ingestion.
If'n y'all wanna talk science to folks, y'oughta do a little l'arnin' first.
....by Mariah233 June 25, 2012 2:55 PM EDT
"An official at the Department of Agriculture told CBS News that there are currently no genetically modified grasses on the market or bring grown for public use or consumption."
"Bring grown"? Do you people even remotely check your work?
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ALERT! Genetically modified grass creates cyanide and kills all cattle. 
