Early survey results indicate this year’s corn harvest will be the best since 2013 in terms of DON content.
The results showed 84 per cent of the samples had less than 0.50 ppm DON concentration, 12 per cent 0.50 to less than two ppm, four per cent two ppm to less than five and none had more than five ppm.
Last year’s DON-disaster harvest was only 33 per cent that had less than 0.50 ppm, 27 per cent at 0.50 to less than two ppm, 15 per cent at two to five ppm and 25 per cent with more than five ppm.
This year, 96 per cent of the 222 samples collected from across the province tested below two ppm.
The survey team advises farmers to be vigilant, to check for mould field by field, to segregate any harvest from fields that do have mould so that doesn’t contaminate whole storage bins of corn and when they combine an area with mould, to turn up the wind to blow out light-weight infected kernels. Officials advise farmers to collect cobs, to husk them and look for pink mould.
Gibberella ear rot (pink mould) can produce DON which is toxic and especially worrisome in rations for sows.
