Page 9 - Lincoln Daily News: Farm Outlook FALL 2012
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2012
LOGAN COUNTY FARM OUTLOOK MAGAZINE. LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.com October 23, 2012
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average occurrence of aborted fetuses.
Aflatoxin is known to produce cancer in
humans.
Ludwig commented that this production
year was frustrating in light of the whole
aflatoxin issue. The majority of loads were
under 20 ppb. The aflatoxin testing at the
elevator is done in accordance with what
would be acceptable to the consumer,
usually Archer Daniels Midland. There
were cases when the test showed that
the sampling was 20 ppb or lower, but the
FGIS-licensed test accepted by the state
and insurance companies showed that
the sample was not acceptable and over
20
ppb. That produced greater frustrations
for producers and elevators alike. Loads
of grain were left in trailers on the siding,
waiting for a final decision.
To put the issue of aflatoxin presence in
an understandable light, in a Reuters article
about corn production and aflatoxin, 20 ppb
aflatoxin is the equivalent of seven infected
corn kernels in a whole railcar of corn.
According to Bill Sahs, a load that is
rejected at the elevator can be sold off to
grain salvagers. If the market price of corn
is $8/bushel, then the salvagers might offer
$3/bushel. The salvagers take the aflatoxin-
corrupted load and blend it with clean corn
to produce corn with an acceptable aflatoxin
level and sell it off at full market value. This
blending procedure is legal in Iowa and
other parts of the U.S., but may or may not
be legal here in Illinois at this time.
A typical approach at elevators is that
loads at or near 20 ppb might be discounted
from full market value to protect the elevator
when it comes time to sell it to the consumer.
There was some statistical information
that corn from outside rows had a greater
amount of aflatoxin than inside rows. There
was no statistical information available
concerning whether there were any greater
amounts of aflatoxin in acreage that has
been managed in a corn-on-corn scheme.
So, this year was different. What came
in from the field wasn’t the yield. The raw
numbers had to be adjusted to offset for
the amount of contaminated product. And
this contamination is very potent. The good
news was that prices were high for accepted
loads.
The USDA reports that Aspergillus flavus
infects corn that has been damaged by
insects, sufferedwind or hail damage, or has
been subjected to an early frost, cracking
the outer husks.
The surprise at the elevator, however, was
realized toward the end of harvest. Ludwig
reported that the total volume presented
at the elevator was not down as much as
was predicted. For corn, 90 percent of the
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