By Dr. Eric Schwab
Mycotoxins are present in a wide range of livestock feeds. While the focus has been primarily on cereal grains, haylage and hay can also contain mycotoxins. Grain byproducts, such as distiller’s grains and corn gluten feed, can have mycotoxin concentrations two to three times greater than the parent material as little mycotoxin destruction occurs during processing and concentration occurs in the byproduct stream. Testing for mycotoxins should be considered when symptoms of toxicity exist among a large population of animals on your farm and cannot be readily explained.
By Rod Martin This year’s weather conditions have been conducive to the development of vomitoxin in wheat. The price for this wheat grain can be significantly discounted depending on the contamination level. Consequently, dairy producers are asking how they can feed wheat grain in their dairy diets without incurring negative production and health effects. Furthermore,
Almost every year at harvest, we have a few conversations about common molds and mycotoxins. However, this year’s weather events have pushed us to look closer at a mycotoxin that isn’t as common in the upper Midwest: aflatoxin. Aflatoxin is produced by the Aspergillus mold. It thrives in periods of excessive heat and drought conditions, which is why it’s of particular concern to producers this harvest season. Spores travel by the wind and infect silks or kernels, usually through insect wounds.