July 7, 2022, North Dakota:
Leafy spurge is an invasive, fast spreading noxious weed which cattle will not graze.
The plant also contains a toxic substance that serves as an irritant, emetic and purgative when consumed by livestock. It has caused death in cattle, sheep and loss of hair and inflammation on the feet of horses. However, sheep and goats can graze Leafy spurge as part of their diet, as a form of cultural control of the plant.
Every summer for more than a quarter century, Merlin Leithold, executive secretary of the North Dakota Weed Control Association and Grant Cou