29. Rusty grasses – what might these mean for grazing animal performance and wellbeing?

In this our latest “bite sized” Rumen Room Podcast, we cover off a brief overview about rusty grasses. Often the first time you realise your pastures contain Crown rust (Puccinia coronata) or Stem rust (Puccinia graminis) fungi is when your boots turn an orange colour as you walk through the paddocks. (Note that these aren’t the only types of fungi to cause rusty coloured mottling on your grasses - we’re focusing on just these two in this podcast. Ask your local agronomist for more advice around what types of fungi might be turning your grasses unusual rust and orange colours).  This latest podcast discusses what rust fungi are, why they appear in your paddocks and what weather conditions favour the accumulation of rust on your pastures.  What rust might mean for your grazing animals is discussed – both from an animal nutrition point of view, as well as the risk of unintended consequences to animal performance and wellbeing when stock graze rusty pastures.