June 24, 2025
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Plants that kill: Be on the lookout for poison hemlock in hay

Robert Zupancic (far right), grazing specialist at the Indiana Natural Resources Conservation Service, talks about pastures and weeds to look out for, such as poison hemlock. He led a twilight pasture walk in Columbus, Ind.

Robert Zupancic (far right), grazing specialist at the Indiana Natural Resources Conservation Service, talks about pastures and weeds to look out for, such as poison hemlock. He led a twilight pasture walk in Columbus, Ind.

Kris Medic, a Purdue Extension educator in Bartholomew County, observes poison hemlock.

A pasture in Columbus, Ind., will be used for cows to graze on later this summer. The grass looks lush and picturesque now, but it will have more nutrients in a few weeks, said farm owner Dan Fleming.

Robert Zupancic, grazing specialist at the Indiana Natural Resources Conservation Service, talks about poison hemlock. The plant is especially dangerous when accidentally part of a hay bale. It can cause birth defects, as well as deaths, in livestock.

Poison hemlock starts off small, but quickly grows waist-high. It’s easier to control the weed early on.