Advice for the Home Gardener from the Help Desk of the
UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County
Client's Request: I'd like to feed my horses with Orchard Grass Hay. I'd like to be assured that it is "safe" for the horses and get it tested and analyzed to assure that it is "safe". Can you point me to labs that do that type of testing?And does UC do that type of testing like other states do?
Help Desk Response: Thank you for calling the UC Master Gardener Program Help Desk. You asked about finding a testing facility for your orchard grass hay. The University of California does not provide this testing service outside of their own research, but here is some information below that may be helpful to you.
The National Forage Testing Association has a list of certified labs, some of which are in California:
http://animalrangeextension.montana.edu/forage/documents/2016_Certified_Labs.pdf
Here is an article from the Western Farm Press listing the California labs.
https://www.farmprogress.com/12-california-labs-certified-national-forage-testing-association
Also, an internet search 'Hay analysis for horses' came up with a number of good sites, including those from horse journals and university extension websites, with information on this subject.
If you contact one of the above certified labs, they will advise you on how to collect and submit the samples.
I hope this is helpful, and that your horses are in the best of health!
Help Desk of the UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County (SMW)
Note: UC Master Gardeners Program of Contra Costa's Help Desk is available almost year-round to answer your gardening questions. Except for a few holidays (e.g., last 2 weeks December), we're open every week, Monday through Thursday for walk-ins from 9:00 am to Noon at 2380 Bisso Lane, Concord, CA 94520. We can also be reached via telephone: (925) 608-6683, email: ccmg@ucanr.edu, or on the web at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/Ask_Us/. MGCC Blogs can be found at http://ccmg.ignore.edu/HortCoCo/ You can also subscribe to the Blog.
Posted on
Monday, January 14, 2019 at
12:12 AM
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Pest Management, Yard & Garden
IMAGE: Orbicules or "Ubisch bodies " (300 - 600nm granules), characteristics of Cupressaceae pollen, are visible on the surface of the exine (outer membrane). view more
Credit: Youcef Shahali / Colorization Jean-Marc Panaud, Institut Pasteur
Palynology - the study of pollen
Exine - the outer coating of a pollen grain
Orbicules - lipid droplets excreted onto pollen surface
Working in collaboration with teams from the Czech Republic and Japan, researchers from the Institut Pasteur, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), and Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM) have identified, for the first time, the likely origin of the cross-reactivity between cypress pollen, peaches and citrus fruits. Their work has shown that these sources contain allergens belonging to a new family of proteins involved in pollen food associated syndrome. This discovery, which was published in JACI on August 3rd, paves the way for the development of novel allergy diagnostic tests.
Today, more and more people suffer from allergies, especially in industrialized countries (where almost 30% of the population is affected). In view of this, doctors are observing an increase in cases of "pollen food associated syndrome", or "combination" allergies, i.e. those which occur via a cross-reaction between pollen (respiratory allergies) and food (food allergies).
In Mediterranean regions, allergic reactions to cypress pollen/peach and cypress pollen/citrus fruits have been described in clinical practice. In such cases, certain people, having been exposed and sensitized to cypress pollen from a young age, go on to develop allergies to citrus fruits and peaches in adulthood. It is estimated that 60% of food allergies occur in combination with respiratory allergies.
Although several explanations had been put forward regarding the increase in these combination allergies, such as environmental or lifestyle changes, the structural basis for the cross-reaction between cypress pollen and certain fruits had, until now, not been formally identified.
A translational study (combining clinical observation and academic research), directed by researchers from the Institut Pasteur and AP-HP, working in partnership with teams from the Prague University of Chemistry and Technology (Czech Republic) and Hokkaido University (Japan), and also the Pneumo-Allergy Unit at La Timone Hospital in Marseille (AP-HM), has revealed for the first time the underlying physicochemical and immunological mechanisms behind this cross-reaction.
In this study, the scientists analyzed the physicochemical, immunological and structural properties of BP14, an allergen identified in cypress pollen. They were able to demonstrate numerous similarities with the peach allergen Pru p 7 and the orange allergen Cit s 7, both of which belong to the "snakin/GRP" (Gibberellin-regulated protein) protein family. These observations led the researchers to establish that BP14, Pru p 7 and Cit s 7 were members of a new family of respiratory and food allergens involved in pollen food associated syndrome.
As study coordinator Pascal Poncet (from the Institut Pasteur's Center for Innovation and Technological Research) explains: "a new concept has emerged - conditional sensitization. Once the immune system of an individual develops an intolerance to an allergen such as BP14, it is then more likely to become sensitive to similar allergens within the same protein family which are present in other allergen sources."
Demonstrating this cross-reactivity and identifying its causes could allow the new allergen family to be included in the battery of tests available to allergy sufferers, from which it is currently absent. As such, the discovery should contribute to improve allergy diagnosis, and lead to better patient treatment in keeping with the development of a personalized medicine.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-08/hu-acb081817.php
Posted on
Friday, September 29, 2017 at
5:53 AM
There was a post written a few months ago by Rebecca Ozeran entitled “A Tale of Two...
Posted on
Monday, August 7, 2017 at
6:00 AM
The UC Agricultural Issues Center has released a new study on the cost and returns of establishing an orchardgrass stand and producing orchardgrass hay in the Intermountain Region of northern California.
The cultural practices described represent production operations and materials of a well-managed farm in this region. Growers, UC ANR Cooperative Extension farm advisors and other agricultural associates provided input and reviewed the methods and findings of the study. The costs, materials and practices shown in this study will not apply to all farms.
The study focuses on growing orchardgrass for hay to be sold in small bales to the horse feed industry. If planted for hay production, the expected stand life for orchardgrass is a minimum of five years, which is the expected stand life used in this study. The study provides costs and returns for the Intermountain Region with a focus on Shasta, Lassen and Siskiyou counties.
The authors describe the assumptions used to identify current costs for the establishment and production of orchardgrass, material inputs, cash and non-cash overhead. A ranging analysis table shows profits over a range of prices and yields. Other tables show the monthly cash costs, the costs and returns per acre, hourly equipment costs, and the whole farm annual equipment, investment and business overhead costs.
The new study is titled “Sample Costs to Establish and Produce Orchardgrass Hay in the Intermountain Region – 2016.”
Free copies of this study and sample cost of production studies for many commodities are available. To download the cost studies, visit the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics website at http://coststudies.ucdavis.edu.
The cost and returns program is funded by the UC Agricultural Issues Center, which is part of UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
For additional information or an explanation of the calculations used in the study, contact the Agricultural Issues Center at (530) 752-1520 or Christine Gutierrez at cagut@ucdavis.edu.
Posted on
Monday, July 11, 2016 at
10:05 AM
California agriculture is successful, in large part, because of the Mediterranean climate and...
Posted on
Thursday, October 22, 2015 at
2:13 PM