Every year, OMAFRA field crop specialists in collaboration with Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) and members of the Ontario Agri-Business Association (OABA) complete the Ontario corn ear mould and DON mycotoxin survey. This year’s full report can be found on the OMAFRA Field Crop News blog (https://fieldcropnews.com/2023/10/2023-ontario-grain-corn-ear-mould-and-deoxynivalenol-don-mycotoxin-survey/).
Corn ear moulds such as Gibberella and their corresponding mycotoxins occur every year in Ontario. These mycotoxins, particularly deoxynivalenol (DON, also referred to as vomitoxin) are produced primarily by Gibberella/Fusarium ear moulds and can be disruptive when fed to livestock, especially hogs. The 2023 survey found 77% of samples tested low (<2.00 parts per million (ppm)) for DON. This is lower than the 10-year average of 88%, but better than recent higher-testing years of 2018 and 2016.
Survey results can vary from field to field depending on local weather, hybrid, planting date, insect feeding, rotation, residue levels, fungicide practices and moisture. Results may not capture what is occurring in your field, and thus it is important to test your corn for the presence of mycotoxins before feeding it to your livestock.
For information about mycotoxins and their impacts on pigs, check out my article in the October issue of Pork News and Views inside the Better Pork Magazine, or right here on our blog (https://onswine.wordpress.com/pork-news-and-views/).
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