JASPER — Cool, wet fall weather that's caused mold to appear in some of Indiana's corn crop is now creating problems for livestock and ethanol producers.
Mold, which is present in much of the Midwest this year, can produce toxins that can reduce livestock weight and value because some animals won't eat poor-quality grains.
It can also create birthing problems and lead to low birth weight and suppress the immune systems in poultry, said Ken Eck, Purdue University's extension educator for Dubois County.
As much as 40 percent of the corn in fields Eck has looked at in southwestern Indiana have been affected by mold.
He said hogs are the livestock most affected by grain tainted with mold or toxins, followed by poultry, because those animals have only one stomach to digest mycotoxins.
Mold and toxins won't harm humans because of the high quality demanded for produce sold for human consumption, Eck told The Herald of Jasper.
Jasper farmer Brian Weisheit said he and others who work on Weisheit Brothers Farms near the town of Ireland have put an additive in the corn they grew to feed their hogs so the animals will eat it and not be harmed.
The added expense can cost as much as $400 to $500 each month, he said.
Weisheit said he's mostly concerned about pregnant sows because they can abort their litters if they ingest too much of the toxins in the corn.
Eck said farmers can test corn to decide if they have to add higher-quality corn, enzyme and binders to the mixture to make it palatable for animals.
He said some farmers sell low-quality grain to ethanol plants. They get less money that way but can recoup some of their investment rather than dumping the crop with no profit.
Richard Stroshine, a professor with Purdue's department of agriculture and biological engineering, said ethanol plants are aware of the problem, and some are separating low-quality grain in the distilling process or rejecting it altogether.
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