CALF_News_Feb_March_2019

39 CALF News • February | March 2019 • www.calfnews.net Making the Planet More Productive Servi-Tech Laboratories “Knowledge is power.” – Sir Francis Bacon, 1597. That phrase is just as applicable today, if not more so. Knowing specifics about the feed you are counting on to meet your production goals is vital to success. Beyond details for ration formulation to meet the nutritional requirements of the class of livestock you are feeding, identification and quantifica- tion of harmful analytes such as mycotoxins is beneficial. From drought to flooding, this growing season has brought lots of challenges and will continue to do so. Stresses like those set up the potential of harmful toxins produced by molds to have developed in the plants. Further opportunity for mold growth continues as wetter-than-usual commodities are needing to be stored. Anywhere mold has grown, there is a potential for mycotoxins – poisonous compounds produced by molds and fungi – to have been released. Unfortunately, visual appraisal is not a good indicator of toxin levels. The abundance of some molds may make a crop look like a total loss, but poisonous toxins may not have been produced. Testing is the answer. Due to the negative impacts on livestock health and productivity from over 250 identified types of mycotoxins, the need for testing this year is heightened. In October, a lab in Wisconsin found marked increases in zearalenone and vomitoxin (DON) in corn silages and whole corn. In Neogen’s Monday Mycotoxin reports, high levels of aflatoxin and fumonisin have been identified in last fall’s harvest as well. Servi-Tech Labs have also tested some commodities, finding levels of different toxins far above “safe” levels. This is not just a corn problem – a recent whole cottonseed sample tested 134 ppb for aflatoxin, which is well above the level of concern for some classes of livestock. Vomitoxin has typically been more prevalent in wheat and barley, but high levels (>10 ppm) have been tested in whole corn as well. A corn sample from Nebraska analyzed for zearalenone at our Hastings lab last fall tested greater than 570 ppm. Aflatoxin is the mycotoxin of greatest concern. It is carci- nogenic in animals as well as humans. It is currently the only mycotoxin to have action levels determined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The dairy industry is at greater risk for harm because 5 percent of the aflatoxin that lactating animals eat is passed into their milk. Aflatoxin contamination is not destroyed by milk pasteurization, so when unsafe levels in milk are detected, that product has to be dumped. In a story published by Drovers , Kansas State University veterinarian Steve Ensley said getting a reliable sample of grain is the key to detecting mycotoxins in an operation. “The best time to sample is anytime you move grain from the field to the bin or from the bin to feeding,” he said.“Any- time that grain is moving and you can get multiple samples along that line, that’s the best way to obtain a random sample.” Knowledge is Power By Robin Cox, Key Feed Accounts Specialist Ensley also said that Kansas has already seen some death losses associated with mycotoxins, specifically fumonisin and aflatoxin, in pigs and horses. The suspect corn did not appear discolored or abnormal. “I’m very concerned that it may be a bigger health issue statewide than the localized cases we’ve seen so far,” Ensley said in the article. Further research is needed to assess the magnitude of nega- tive effects of co-occurring mycotoxins. The more we know, the more we identify the need to know more. Remember, knowledge is power. The only way to know what you are feeding your livestock is to test it. Servi-Tech Labs currently offers testing for aflatoxin, fumonisin, zearalenone, vomitoxin and T2. To reduce the risk of mycotoxin production:  At harvest, increase fan speed to blow out immature and broken kernels.  Prevent mold growth.  Test to know levels and types of toxins.  Dilute contaminated feed.  Add mycotoxin binder. 