Sheep may happily graze on spurge

Agricultural Research, Sept, 2004 by Steven S. Seefeldt, Brent W. Woorward

More than 5 million acres of the western rangeland in America are now overgrown with leafy spurge, greatly reducing the land's plant diversity and productivity. There's something about this noxious weed that makes it repel cattle, horses, and some sheep. But other sheep don't seem to mind its sticky, milky sap and will graze on it with enthusiasm.

Scientists interested in developing an array of nonchemical, spurge-curbing measures are considering using spurge-browsing sheep to help keep the weed in check. They've been closely observing the feeding habits of individual animals to single out those that find it most acceptable. They think there may be a genetic code responsible for chemical sensitivity in sheep and other mammals. By identifying these genes, researchers may be able to build flocks of spurge-loving sheep. Steven S. Seefeldt and Brent W. Woodward, USDA-ARS U.S. Sheep Experiment Station, Dubois, Idaho; phone (208) 374-5306, e-mail sseefeldt@pw.ars.usda.gov.bwoodward @pw.ars.usda.gov.