The holiday season is here, but if you’re a feed mill manager, this is no excuse to slack off with regard to grain samples. Feedstuffs recently published an article that urges both livestock producers and feed manufacturers to watch for mycotoxin levels in grain.

Mycotoxin is a toxic secondary metabolite that is capable of causing disease in both humans and animals. This is produced by fungi which readily colonize crops. According to the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, otherwise known as the NDA, both feed manufacturers and producers have to be mindful of the mycotoxin levels in the corn which they feed livestock with come winter.

NDA’s Animal & Plant Health inspectors visit grain elevators to collect corn samples during the harvest. These are taken to the lab and checked for mycotoxins like aflatoxin and fumonisin.  These year’s test results do not show detectable levels of aflatoxin. However, there is an increased level of fumonisin in some samples.

“Summer drought, coupled with wet harvest conditions, creates a high risk for mycotoxins to grow,” Steve Wellman, NDA director said. Horses, rabbits and swine are most susceptible to this toxic substance. The FDA has established safe feeding recommendations for grains that have significant levels of mycotoxins, which can be found here. Click here to read the article from Feedstuffs.

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MARIA CODILLA • Feed Mill Management Recruiter

Maria Codilla is the Feed Mill Management Recruiter for the Agriculture Technology and Manufacturing division. She helps companies fill management positions for commercial feed mills and integrators across the United States. She specializes in recruiting and placing Feed Mill Managers, Plant Managers, Assistant Feed Mill Managers, Feed Mill Superintendents and Supervisors.

Visit her LinkedIn profile for more information.

Send your resume to Maria at maria@consearch.com. Call her at 302-273-0709.