10-29 FB Corn Threat

 A different twist to hot dry weather. Hot weather can produce a toxic mold called Aspergillus, the mold responsible for aflatoxins  and it can make its way into corn crops. In fact 2012 is considered to be a high-risk year and as a result, there is no doubt that feed quality will be a challenge this year. Four of the nation’s top producing corn states have already been given permission to blend corn at levels exceeding the United States Food and Drug Administration aflatoxin action level this year’s poor corn crop for livestock. Dr. Max Hawkins is a member of the Alltech  Corporations Mycotoxin Management Team. “will dairy producers in the Northwest have to worry? I haven’t heard of any particular issues there but that is not to say that I have not seen any about 37+ results from that area. I would say that their risk would be someone less but it does not mean that it is not there. Aspergillus produces several different aflatoxins, the one that is the greatest concern is aflatoxin B1 which can be consumed by the animal and get into the system, it comes in with the grain, B1 is regulated by the FDA and can only be at a certain level in the milk. As dairy cows consume aflatoxins B 1 it will convert to aflatoxins M1 which goes into the milk and when that is measured, it can only be it .5 ppb in order to be salable milk. If it is above that number, milk is non-salable and has to be dumped.