Alltech finds wet weather exposed wheat to mold, mycotoxins

Courtesy of wheatgrowers.com
Alltech said Tuesday that preliminary testing over the summer months of the 2015 North America wheat crop, conducted by Alltech’s 37+ mycotoxin analysis, shows an average 3.2 mycotoxins per sample, with deoxynivalenol (DON) the most predominant toxin.

Summer rainfall levels through Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Ohio and Michigan presented a consistent pattern with areas of high mycotoxin contamination in wheat testing from 1,200 to 2,000 parts per billion (ppb).

“We have had above average rainfall. This caused late planting with some acres not planted at all. This made it difficult to get in to spray or do post planting field work. Wet soil has also created a nitrogen loss situation,”  Alltech Mycotoxin Management Team Nutritionist Max Hawkins said.

Hawkins advises farmers to scout fields for any stalk or leaf mold issues, as well as for any damage to plants from insects or weather conditions. Excess rain can create ponds that can drown out or stunt crop growth and generate differences in soil types.

Producers should take the necessary steps to solve existing issues with contaminated feedstuffs that include the use of a silage inoculant. proper packing and covering of grains, grain drying to 14 percent moisture and using a proper mycotoxin management program.