Storage Under Pressure: Squeezing This Year’s Crop for Max Value

With unprecedented bushels per acre numbers projected a month ago, the U.S. was looking like it was headed for the largest corn harvest in history. Though recently those yield projections retreated a bit, overall numbers look like we’ll see another bumper crop of corn this year.

As is the case when corn acreage and yields are high, two factors come in to play: downward pressure on prices and less-than-ideal storage solutions, including bags, open bins, and ground piles.

In order to squeeze out the maximum value of this year’s harvest, grain handlers need to mitigate post-harvest losses due to damage, infestation, and especially mycotoxin contamination, by properly storing and monitoring corn.

Storage practices need to be adequate to protect the value of what’s being stored, distilled down to 4 factors:

1. Moisture: Mold needs moisture to grow so when you reduce your moisture content you improve your chances of winning the fight against mycotoxin producing molds. It is recommended to reduce the amount of moisture as early as possible and to keep the percent moisture at 14% or less.

2. Temperature: Keep cool and even temperatures by using proper aeration.  Why?  Keeping the temperature cool will make the environment less favorable for insects. Keeping the temperature even will reduce the chance of condensation that can occur from drastic temperature changes.

3. Insects: Control insects or mitigate insects. Insects can damage grain with digging, chewing and leaving waste, leaving it more susceptible to mycotoxin contamination. They can also bring in additional moisture.

4. Damage: Remember the old adage “quality in quality out”?  Damaged grain is more susceptible to mycotoxin contamination.  Separate or sell damaged grain to limit its incorporation into high-quality stored grains.

storage animation: moisture, temperature, damage, and insects

Monitoring incoming and stored commodities is critical to protecting value.

Remember that weather conditions are not a guarantee of either presence or absence of mycotoxins, and reliance upon rumors either way is foolhardy at best and costly at its worst.  Begin with testing incoming grain to set a baseline understanding of the grain quality in your area, then continue to monitor stored grains, whether in bins, piles, or bags.  Cool weather is no guarantee to keep molds and mycotoxins at bay, as temperatures and moisture levels especially in the center of a ground pile can climb without proper aeration.

It is generally recommended to inspect stored corn weekly during fall and spring, and once or twice a month during winter, so any potential for loss can be addressed immediately.

By regularly testing your grain, you can assure that your storage practices are working effectively, and you’ll achieve the maximum value when it’s time to sell.

A list of EnviroLogix’ most popular mycotoxin test kits for use with the EnviroLogix QuickScan II quantitative GMO and mycotoxin detection instrument appears below:

Contact us if you have questions or concerns about how mycotoxin contamination might be present in the grain in your supply chain. We can be reached at (866) 408-4597 or info@envirologix.com.

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Name that strip!

You may be moving corn for a Non-GMO Identity Program (IP), or you may be a farmer desiring a Non-GMO premium on thousands of acres of corn. The last thing anyone wants is GMO to be found while the product is headed for premium non-GMO markets. With all the GMO seed products on the market today, it is hard to keep track of which strip tests for what. Your neighbors could be buying and planting various GMO traits this spring. Wouldn’t it would be great to know what, exactly, is in your corn? Our non-GMO corn combs have as many as nine strips.  People often ask us, “what do all those strips do?” Because it is a full-time job to keep up on what GMO traits are present in any given seed, our corn comb is designed to detect the GMO protein in corn that is currently on the market. That way, you will be able to detect any and all GMO present in the corn coming through your facility, or in the seed that you are about to plant.

Our strips fall into three broad categories of trait detection:

  1. Herbicide tolerance,
  2. Lepidoptera managment, and
  3. Coleopteran management.

The first category refers to weed suppression. You’ve most likely heard of Roundup Ready. It was the first widely available trait in corn and it was a game changer. The second trait in this category that is detected by our corn comb is Liberty Link. Like Roundup Ready, it puts another powerful tool in the farmer’s tool box when dealing with competitive vegetation.

The next group is Lepidoptera managers. This is the genus of insect that Corn Borers fall into. ‘Cry’ proteins (GMO) kill insects and it is one of the most well-studied, well-characterized proteins in history. There are thousands of variations that have different effects on bugs. The ones that kill corn borers are Cry1, Cry1AB, Cry1F, and Vip3A…Vip proteins are fascinating in their own right, but we’ll write about that in a future article.

Last on our list are the Coleoptera managers, that mitigate potentially devastating pests such as root worms. In certain applications, these proteins are expressed specifically in root tissue keeping the protein where it is needed. No energy is wasted by expressing it in leaf tissue, for example. The proteins fatal to root worms are Cry3B, Cry34, and modified Cry3A.

Here is a Quick glance at the 9 strips that help you detect the presence of GMO.

Strip Name Commercial Product Function
C1 Cry1A YieldGard Bt11 Corn Borer/lepidopteran
RR Roundup Ready Agrisure, Optimum, Enlist, and others Herbicide Resistance
C3 Cry3B YieldGard Rootworm Rootworm/coleopteran
1F Cry1F Herculex, PowerCore, and Acremax Corn Borer/lepidopteran
LP Liberty Link Agrisure, SmartStax, Herculex, Optimum, and others Herbicide Resistance
34 Cry34 SmartStax, Herculex RW Rootworm/coleopteran
3A Modified Cry3A Agrisure Rootworm MIR604 Rootworm/coleopteran
C2 Cry2A Genuity/PowerCore Corn Borer/lepidopteran
VP Vip3A Viptera, MIR162 Corn Borer/lepidopteran

Poor Corn + Moisture = Mycotoxins?

Growing conditions and moisture levels are critical factors in the overall health of growing corn crops. Mycotoxin contamination can start in the field if fungi infect corn ears. The risk of pre-harvest fungal growth goes up if the condition of the crop is reported to be less than optimal (e.g., damaged by weather or insects). Another factor that increases the risk even further is moisture throughout the growing season.

Ultimately, corn that is growing in locations in which crop conditions have been classified as fair, poor, or very poor; and at the same time have been subjected to a persistently moist environment are at heightened risk for yielding grain that is contaminated with mycotoxins.

2018 Corn Crop Growing Condition as of August 22nd
State % of corn crop conditions reported
as fair, poor, or very poor
Illinois 24%
Indiana 30%
Iowa 28%
Kansas 71%
Kentucky 27%
Michigan 20%
Minnesota 23%
Missouri 71%
Montana 32%
Nebraska 17%
North Dakota 18%
Ohio 22%
Oklahoma 20%
South Dakota 33%
Tennessee 35%
Wisconsin 24%

The National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center database was used to identify at-risk regions with persistently moist growing conditions. The Soil Moisture Map (inset) shows persistently high levels of moisture (dark green) in several corn-growing US states from May 31st to August 27th.

Comparing this information to the corn crop quality as determined by the USDA Crop Progress and Conditions Report (see table) indicates several corn-producing states are at risk of corn crops that are contaminated by mycotoxins.

According to the Climate Prediction Center, the following states have had consistently anomalous soil moisture: Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. Those states have also had double-digit percentage of fair, poor, or very poor growing conditions for corn; as have Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Tennessee, and Wisconsin. The table below indicates those levels.

This animation overlays the soil moisture data from the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center with that of the crop conditions from the USDA Crop Progress and Prediction Report.

Sporadic reports of mycotoxin contamination have already begun to filter in as harvest season for many grains gets underway across the US. Not all crops are affected, but it’s essential to establish whether contamination has occurred in your supply chain and at what level.

If you or your suppliers are in the affected areas where factors conducive to mycotoxin contamination are prevalent, EnviroLogix strongly recommends careful sampling and testing. EnviroLogix makes a variety of test kits for testing mycotoxins in most grain types.

A list of EnviroLogix’ most popular mycotoxin test kits for use with the EnviroLogix QuickScan II quantitative GMO and mycotoxin detection instrument appears below:

Contact us if you have questions or concerns about how mycotoxin contamination might be present in the grain in your supply chain. We can be reached at (866) 408-4597 or info@envirologix.com.

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Mycotoxins in Non-GMO Feed Grains

Eager to supply the growing demand for organically produced milk and meat, many farms are testing corn, soy, and other feed components for GMOs. But what about mycotoxins?

The limited supply of non-GMO organic grains, which we wrote about last time, sometimes forces buyers to accept more broken and imperfect grains…the most susceptible to fungal infestation and possibly the development of mycotoxins, a toxic byproduct of certain fungi.

Some mycotoxins not only reduce yields, but also cause irreparable harm and even death. Whether feeding pigs, cattle, or poultry, mycotoxin testing is crucial to the success and profitability of organic milk and meat production.

For example, pigs are extremely sensitive to mycotoxins; breeding losses and hampered weight gain can reduce margins to the point of non-profitability. Mycotoxins are detrimental to poultry as well, one of the fastest-growing segments of organic demand. With effects such as poor gut integrity and gizzard erosion, broiler, turkey, and egg production margins are at risk.

The U.S. FDA regulates mycotoxin levels in food and feed, but organic producers are limited in their mycotoxin risk management and health prevention tools. By testing frequently along the feed supply chain, farmers, suppliers and producers alike can be confident in the animals’ health and better capitalize on this growing market.

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