Mycotoxins represent a broad category of toxic agents produced by various naturally occurring fungi, mostly soil borne and environmentally dependent says a report at Drovers.
Three types – aflatoxins, fumonisins and zearalenone – cause most mycotoxins in cattle, says Jim Simpson, a consulting beef cattle nutritionist who operates Simpson Nutritional Services, LLC, based in Canyon, TX.
Simpson presented information on mycotoxins during the recent Academy of Veterinary Consultants (AVC) spring conference in Fort Worth, TX. He offers several suggestions for minimizing aflatoxin risk, including:
- Watch growing conditions for signs of crop stress
- Test grain from each new crop and test stored grain randomly
- Quick test kits can detect aflatoxins in feed
Read the full article here.
