Corn that you will feed 2010

[seedcorn]

For those of us in upper mid west, you will get molds (mycotoxins) in your corn this year. Some fields are worse than others. I would suggest if you know a farmer that has a bin full of last years corn, go stock up on it (forget how high it will be), pay it and go on.

For those in the south, they aren't as bad but there will be blending going on so the bad corn will make it to the good corn areas and the opposite so get it while you can. For those feeding DDG's, it will be even worse.

Not sure what levels are too high for chickens but in Indiana, already have dairies w/trouble feeding it and the hog producers are beyond themselves. Know of 1 who can't feed an acre of his crop.

 

[dichotomymom]

I just read a prarie farmer report on it. It can cause miscarriage in cattle. My bil can't even get his drier working so he's probably going to lose many bushels because he can't find commercial drier space.

 

[Wildsky]

Our corn farmers are only just getting the harvesting done, and they do say the corn isn't totally ready yet - just too much moisture this year.

We had huge snow storms in October, around the time they would have normally been harvesting.

 

[Plain Old Dee]

I guess it's a good thing I don't feed much corn - it's just a treat anyway. I would hesitate to try to buy a year's worth and store it though. It might be just as likely to develope mold problems as buying fresh from the feed store. I guess we'll just skip it for this year?

 

[tazcat70]

It doesn't surprise me. We had a very wet fall, and cold. There were a lot of fields that didn't get harvested when the farmers wanted to. But I probably wouldn't have even thought about it, thanks for mentioning it.

 

[ninny]

Yikes! We have snow on the ground and they still haven't got any the crops in. If i still buy corn how can i know if it has mold? And if it does what do i do? Return it or what?

 

[seedcorn]

Quote:
Don't know of any place that will allow you to return it. How can you know? Run it under a black light, mold will glow. The mold is only part of the problems as it's not the mold that is the problem but the mycotoxins it throws off. That is a chemical test.

For those thinking they don't have to worry about it, guess again. Where do you think the corn is going to come from when you buy feed. Local elevator will have same problem it's a USA wide problem. GMO, non-GMO, open pollinated, conventional corn, no-till corn, organic corn--all same problem. Can't process the mycotoxins out of the feed--that I'm aware of.

Ask your local mill (if local grind/mix) if they tested their corn. If they have, good chance, you are good. If they haven't, may or may not be a problem. The larger concerns, will be buying from less infected areas, blending it w/corn from other areas to get to a "safe" level.

Only reason for this thread is to tell you to beware as some will have flocks do some funky things, be on look out for mold/mycotoxin issues.

 

[jhm47]

First of all, buying year old corn that is properly dried will not cause a problem, as long as you keep it dry. Make sure that it's in the 13% or less moisture area. You can check this by weighing out 100 grams of corn, bake it in an oven on fairly low heat for about 2 hours, and then weigh back the remainder. If it's 87 grams or more, the corn is properly dried.

Not all molds produce mycotoxins. We are lucky in our area, in that virtuallyall the molds have been benign. Another advantage is that the drying process removes a fair amount of the toxins. These toxins are mostly on the outside of the kernels, and the friction of drying and transporting them causes a significant amount to vaporize into the air.

I don't mean to minimize the danger, but if the corn kernels are a shiny bright yellow, they likely are OK. The ones that are dark and discolored are the ones that are dangerous. You can easily see the mold on the outside of the infected kernels.

 

[seedcorn]

Another advantage is that the drying process removes a fair amount of the toxins.

Might want to re-research that as drying actually intensifies the toxins. Different areas have different levels but even "good looking " corn can have hi toxin levels. Once dried you can not see mold. After dried the "off colored" kernels are not that easily identifed either. I agree that the mold is not the issue but the mycotoxins it is throwing off. I have seen "good looking" corn that has 15ppm vomitoxin. Only way to tell is to test.

Last year's corn if held sufficiently is no problem, this year's crop whole different story.

 

[Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay]

Quote:
While movment of the grain through augers and drying systems coupled with cleaning of fines and cracked kernals from the corn can reduce the amount of Mycotoxins available it will not elminate their presence. To further exacerbate the situation, neither heating nor fermentation will degrade the mycotoxins. This is a serious issue for livestock producers, primarily those with pigs and chickens, in the Eastern Cornbelt. I have personally sampled "Good Looking" corn that subsequently had contamination of both zearalanone and deoxynivalenol.

Work with your feed supplier to ensure that they are taking steps to limit mycotoxin contamination. The feed company for which I work tests every load of corn with a Quick Test ELISA, anything testing positive for DON is rejected. This has put a significant burden on us to find clean corn supplies well outside our normal supply areas.

Jim