This year's drought is leading Nebraska farmers to test their crops for nitrates.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is offering free nitrate testing at Husker Harvest Days going on now just west of Grand Island.
University experts say drought conditions cause nitrate buildup in stalks and plant stems. Nitrates usually turn into protein when absorbed by plants, but buildup happens in drought because plants don't grow as aggressively.
Galen Erickson with the University of Nebraska says the condition isn't cause for concern in people, but it is for cattle that eat stalks and stems.
Erickson says cattle that get too much of the nitrate-laced plants in their diet can suffer the effects of poisoning - including sometimes death.
