A survey carried out by Wynnstay and Alltech involved the mycotoxin analysis of fresh maize silage from farms across England and Wales.
Several samples were collected and analysed using the Alltech 37+ mycotoxin test which identified the differing types and concentrations present in the maize silage. The results also predicted the milk yield reduction and somatic cell count increase as a result of feeding contaminated maize silage.
Fluctuations in weather conditions across the UK have correlated with high levels of mycotoxins present in maize silage, particularly that of Fusarium mycotoxins. The contamination of animal feeds and forages can negatively impact cow health and performance.
Quantifying the level of mycotoxin contamination in your feeds is always difficult, as there are >400 different species of mycotoxins, all with varying levels of toxicity, and they may not be in every part of the silage clamp or TMR that we sample! Generally speaking, any plant with a flowering head (such as maize or wheat) could have developed fungi in the field, under stress conditions such as drought or wet weather, which produce the ‘in field’ mycotoxins on the plant. When harvested, the mycotoxins remain in the silage, and in some cases, further mould/fungi growth in the clamp can lead to more ‘storage’ mycotoxin production.
