Drought could increase the presence of dangerous mycotoxins in animal feed
Tri State Neighbor
As the worst drought in 17 years continues to put stress on livestock, wither plants and leave grazing land barren in the Midwest, many producers will now have to consider another economic setback – mycotoxins.
According to James Pierce, coordinator of monogastric nutrition at Alltech, drought can bring more mycotoxins to the farm as plants become stressed and more susceptible to disease and infection.
“Historically the worst mycotoxin years are also drought years,” Pierce said.
The 2001 research paper “Current concepts in feed-borne mycotoxins and the potential for dietary prevention of mycotoxicoses” from the proceedings of Alltech’s 17th Annual Symposium states that moisture content during the growing and harvesting periods is one key factor in minimizing fungal infestation in crops and mycotoxin accumulation in feedstuffs.
The Beef Blog 