Noxious weed awareness for livestock

MISSOULA. Montana — Noxious weeds can put livestock at risk and people who care for animals in Montana said staying alert in the pasture matters.

Shari Montana, founder of the River Pines Horse Sanctuary in Missoula, said toxic plants can have serious consequences for animals.

“The things that are really poisonous to horses are nightshade and houndstooth. One of our goats got into some nightshade we didn't know was here. It took a long, slow death before we realized what was happening,” Montana said.

Becky Kington, executive director of the Montana Weed Control Association, explained that some newer weeds are showing up and landowners need to know what is growing where animals graze.

“We have some weeds that are moving in that are fairly new. So, I have to keep coming back to education because if you know what you're looking for out in the pasture and you see something that doesn't look right or that you've never seen before, it definitely pays to find out what it is,” Kington said.

Montana said many animals will just eat what they can.

“Horses because we keep them in captivity. They're in an unnatural setting. Horses are meant to be grazers, to eat constantly as they move throughout their day. They will eat whatever's in front of them usually. So, it's really important to be diligent about not letting them have access to anything toxic,” Montana said.

Kington also noted that many counties in Montana offer help identifying noxious weeds and some counties will inspect pastures for landowners.