OVC Student Veterinarians Share Externship Experience: Apparently all hay is not created equally

Each summer DVM students from the Ontario Veterinary College delve into practical experience at veterinary clinics across Ontario and additional locales. These blog posts are an opportunity to tag along with five of them this summer. This week student veterinarian Jodi took a pasture-to-plate approach to some hay samples. Check out all the student blogs at www.ovc.uoguelph.ca/externship

Working with Dr. Bob brings the unique opportunity to focus on some of his specialties like horse nutrition and toxic plants. Each week, we make our way into the fields to discover what is growing and where. I have already learnt a ton about the plants covering Southern Ontario pastures in early summer and have a better idea about the amount still left to learn.

This week, we also had the unique opportunity to take a ‘pasture-to-plate’ approach to our regular pasture walk. I got to consult with Dr. Bob on a hay sample analysis submitted by a curious client. The client wanted Dr. Bob’s comments on the hay composition as well as insight specifically on if the hay contained a toxic plant called hairy vetch (Vicia villosa).

Hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) was originally introduced from Europe and derives its name from its hairy stems and leaves. It is toxic to both horses and cows if it is consumed in large quantities (as a major portion of their diet) when the plant is reaching maturity. Typically, hairy vetch poisoning results in an immune system response that leads to skin issues, weight loss, diarrhea, and inflammation throughout the body. In large enough quantities, pregnant animals may abort their fetuses and mature animals may die suddenly. It is no wonder the client wanted to make sure we looked specifically for hairy vetch in the hay samples – it can be quite a nasty plant!

We set up our analysis station in front of the clinic and combed through the samples that were submitted. A passerby even commented that we “look like kids playing in a sandbox” – it was quite fun!

Above is a photograph of some of our plant findings within the hay samples. Each plant species contributes a different nutrient profile to the overall hay affecting its quality and suitability for different life stages like foals, adult horses, or pregnant mares. From left to right in the photograph: red clover (with flowers), tufted common vetch (upper), tufted common vetch seed pods (lower), tufted common vetch freshly-picked, alfalfa (with flowers), mature orchard grass, mature brome grass, timothy hay, and mature blue grass. Luckily, we did not find any hairy vetch in our searches and tufted common vetch does not have the same toxicity issues!

I had no idea how much complexity went into a bale of hay until I spent an afternoon ripping some apart and looking at them stem by stem. I realize now that I had little respect for the plethora of species that exist and make up what I previously referred to as “grass”. After a bit of time with the specialist though I have learnt that all hay is not created equally!

Comments are closed for this blog post

Welcome to
Ontario Agriculture

Sign Up
or Sign In

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Crop Undercount Raises Questions About Reliability of U.S.D.A. Data

The Agriculture Department projected last July that farmers would harvest 86.8 million acres of corn in autumn. The projection was repeatedly revised upward until, in January, the department found 1.3 million more acres of corn — an area larger than Delaware — and concluded that the final amount harvested was 91.3 million acres. “It was a miss. No other way to call it,” said Seth Meyer, who served as the department’s chief economist until leaving in December. The 5 percent undercount may seem small, but it was the department’s worst projection in recent memory. It came as the Trump administration was cutting staff at the Agriculture Department and as President Trump’s trade war raised prices for equipment and hurt exports. Some people in agriculture have become increasingly worried about the reliability of department data. That skepticism could lead to a breakdown of the historically close relationship between the department and farmers it serves, they said. “U.S.D.A. always had a

Weekly Crop Progress and Condition Report

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The report is released weekly April through November. Additionally, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship provides a weather summary each week during this time. “April will go down as one of the wettest on record, and that moisture has helped ease drought conditions for the majority of the state,” said Secretary Naig. “Looking ahead, the forecast trends a bit cooler and drier through the first few weeks of May, which should give farmers a longer window to keep the planters running.” Crop Report There were 4.2 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending May 3, 2026, which is 1.0 day more than last year. Topsoil moisture condition rated 1 percent very short, 9 percent short, 81 percent adequate and 9 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 2 percent very short, 13 percent short, 78 percent ade

Ten years of Canadian agricultural innovation through EMILI

This year marks the tenth anniversary of EMILI (Enterprise Machine Intelligence and Learning Initiative), the culmination of a group of community leaders working towards a common goal: to grow Canada’s economy, with a specific focus on advancing agtech in the Prairies. Jacqueline Keena, Managing Director, explained that EMILI “is an industry-led non-profit committed to driving agriculture innovation, partnership, and engagement. We provide innovators access to leading-edge equipment, technology, and production practices to increase productivity, sustainability, and profitability across the agriculture and agri-food sector.” At the heart of it all are the partnerships that EMILI cultivates between producers, industry leaders, investors and innovators. These stakeholders work together “to grow a sustainable, economically resilient digital agriculture industry.” This work is done in a number of ways. “We know that Canadian agriculture can lead the world through transformative innovati

This is Agriculture: Field Trial Modernization Scientist

As a field trial modernization scientist at Corteva Agriscience, Dr. Kevin Falk is dedicated to improving the way field scientists work. The lead on Corteva Agriscience’s spray drone trials taking place at EMILI’s Innovation Farms, Falk holds an M.Sc from the University of Manitoba, a Ph.D in Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Agronomy from Iowa State University, and an Advanced RPAS Pilot Certificate from Transport Canada. Here, Falk shares his path to becoming a field scientist, the importance of relationships in building his career, and some keen observations about the digital agriculture industry. Describe your job or product in one sentence. I build digital tools and workflows that help agricultural scientists work faster, smarter, and with better data, including AI models, drone systems, and automation platforms. Where did you grow up? Was it an agriculture or urban environment? I grew up in Carman, Manitoba, a town of about 3,000 people that punches way above its weight as an agric

Grain Bin Emergencies Turn Deadly in Seconds, but Training Can Save Lives

Grain entrapment kills within seconds, but a decade-long partnership between CASA and G3 is helping farmers and first responders prevent fatal accidents.

More…

Badges | Report an Issue | Terms of Service