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Expert says mycotoxins affect feed, animals in all kinds of weather

An expert says mycotoxins in animal feed can happen in any year, no matter what the weather brings.

Paulo Napier with Phibro Animal Health tells Brownfield wet or moist weather brings the common mycotoxin problems, but he says there are more than 15-hundred different mycotoxins, and some thrive in moist environments while others grow best in dry conditions. “Usually silage has mold, and the type of mold determines the type of mycotoxin that is going to be present, is going to be created.”  Napier says the most prevalent mycotoxins that make a significant impact on the health and performance of animals are Aflatoxins, Zearalenone, Fumonisin, Ochratoxin, Deoxynivalenol, T-2 Toxin and Patulin.  He says these mycotoxins have the biggest impact on a producer’s bottom line.

Napier says the best advice for keeping animals healthy is to test feed frequently before feeding it.  “It’s very important, not only when we have very humid weather but when we have very dry weather, that we always test to make sure what type of mycotoxins we might be encountering in the feed and that you combat that.  You have to mitigate those problems before they affect the animal.”

He says there are several silage treatments on the market for the wide variety of mycotoxins, and the lab or a veterinarian can help determine the best course of action.