BBSAI-- Heard from the NRCS guy today and he said that the Dakotas, Nebraska and NW Kansas are in a high selenium area. It comes from shale to the north and is in the N Platte river. From the S Platte river where we are, the elevated levels of selenium are suspected as coming out of the effluent that Denver dumps in the Platte! He says that water storage areas like a couple of irrigation system lakes east of here cause a higher level of selenium also.
I asked the feed store manager why they were selling added selenium sheep mineral for areas low in it when in fact we are high in it. He checked and Purina Mills doesn't make a sheep mineral with lower levels and ADM actually has a higher level in theirs than Purina! My personal vitamin bottle says that it's selenium is 268% the RDA! Seems like in the last few years this mineral has been the hottest buzzword in healthfood promos. The NRCS guy found that people with skin cancers that have high levels of selenium do better and are also at much less risk in getting other cancers. Beyond the RDA levels is not good so more is not always better. Do I really need 268%? Bottom line again--you have to know your own sheep and your own location's nutrients. And...in cases like ours in the middle of nowhere NE, I may have to start ordering on line if a good sheep mineral in 50lb bags is available anywhere. -eldon- Eldon Andersen P.S. Just because you are paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you! That's my conspiracy theory. _______________________________________________ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
