LIFE F0RCE wrote:

> 1. What is the deal with a new supplement "MSM" ? All I know is that is
> supposed to have sulfur in a bioavailable form, and that it is being sold
> through MLM schemes. Does anyone know anything more about the reputed
benefits?

"MSM" plus "nutrition" gets you several thousand hits when typed into a search
engine.  I also noticed containers of "MSM" are generally sitting on the shelf at
the horse feed centers.  I didn't check the cost, but it wouldn't surprise me to
find it a tenth the price of any MLM scheme.  It seems to just be a food
supplement.

> 2. What is the difference between wheat or barley grass, and the grass in the
> back yard? Is it the mineral content, and if so, does anyone know which
> minerals in what amounts, or where I might find an answer to this question? A
> client asked me why he couldn't just save himself the trouble and just juice
> his lawn. ;-))  Are fescue or crabb grass even edible?

Several horse people have told me that they are wary of fescue.  It seems fescue
sometimes develops a mold that either sickens or kills their animals.  I've never
actually seen any moldy fescue and honestly don't know if it is even visible.
However, I hope to one day get some Brix tests on a moldy pasture.  My thought is
that it will (should) be down around 4-6 Brix.  Excellent-rated grasses (barley,
wheat, alfalfa, oats, rye, etc.) should be 18-22 Brix.

I can tell you that when I visit Amish farms I sample their pasture grasses and
chew on them to get an idea of their overall crop quality.  Cows and horses are
like people: they go to the sweetest available food.  If your client's lawn
grasses taste good, they probably are good.

Regards,
Rex Harrill