Mycotoxin Outlook for 2025 Harvest – Part 1

Variable = one good word to describe planting and growing conditions for the 2025 crop year. This is true across the country and applies within locations too as variable temperature and precipitation patterns have occurred this year. Realistically, that’s not that unusual but it seems like more places have gone from one extreme to the other since spring. The USDA recently released record yield projections (188.8 bushels per acre) and increased acres of corn planted to the highest acreage since 1937. Despite the record production projections, there are rumblings from the field about disease pressures in various areas which could limit the potential for a record harvest. Mycotoxins can occur even when yields are good. So, what mycotoxins could we expect in new crops knowing conditions have varied and there is disease out there? This article is the first in a series sharing insights into potential mycotoxin contamination patterns in the 2025 corn crop.

Prepartum Mycotoxins May Trigger Shortened Gestation Periods and Affect Cow & Calf Health and Survival

Throughout the dairy production cycle, it is imperative that high forage and water quality are maintained. A multitude of potential challenges can exist when it comes to feed and water quality on farms. Molds and mycotoxins are potential contaminants which can disrupt animal health and performance and are found in a wide variety of feedstuffs. The dry period is a critical time in the dairy cow’s life which has significant implications to the subsequent lactation and also heavily influences the calf. Any contamination of the feed or water supply can have serious consequences on the performance of the herd and its progeny, especially during the dry period and transition to lactation when cows are especially susceptible to such challenges.

Antinutrients in feed and their effects on immunity, productivity and health of swine

Diet formulation during early life is critical to future growth outcomes because the mucosal immune system and digestive capacity of pigs does not mature until around 8 weeks of age. During this period, and especially around the time of weaning, piglets are highly susceptible to external stressors, including from antinutrients in the diet. Responding to these stressors requires nutrients and energy which are redirected away from growth, impacting on performance. Antinutrients of most concern in piglet diets include allergens in feed raw materials, mycotoxins, peptidoglycans and undigested nutrients.