Last fall’s crop salvage spelled salvation for some feed-short livestock producers, but with spring it may become their liability.
Last fall tens of thousands of acres of canola and cereals were rolled up wet and stored in plastic or left to freeze for later feeding.
But now much of that crop may be developing mould problems.
Warm spring weather, water and a supply of oxygen are conspiring to ignite life in the feed.
Fungal spores are always present in stored feed and grain, and in most years moisture levels in the feed are low enough to prevent spoilage from mould growth.
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This year is different, however.
“There is no visual method to identify moulds that will cause problems,” said Barry Yaremcio of Alberta Agriculture.
“There are thousands, but only a few that produce mycotoxins.”
Mycotoxins are the byproducts of mould growth and they can cause problems as minor as lowered feed consumption or as severe as abortions or death.
Besides the home-grown problem, mycotoxins may also be in feed imported from the U.S., where they are more common.
While cattle and sheep rumens are often able to detoxify these poisonous compounds, even moderate toxin levels can overwhelm pregnant animals, dairy cows and feeders that are burning large quantities of feed. In some cases it can become lethal.
It is not always the toxins that cause illnesses. Mycotoxins suppress animals’ immune systems and secondary infections of viruses and bacteria may produce diseases that would not commonly be blamed on damaged feed.
Vern Racz of the Prairie Feed Resource Centre at the University of Saskatchewan said his office is receiving lots of calls about mouldy feed.
“Checking to see if you have mouldy feed can be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Really, just like that needle, it is often buried in bales, out of sight.”
He said testing hay for mould is often ineffective because it is difficult to obtain a representative hay sample.
Animals will often avoid eating mouldy hay, but the toxins need not be ingested into the stomach.
“They’re just as bad in the respiratory system,” Racz said.
“It shouldn’t be mixed into other feeds to make it more attractive. It should be spread out in an open area, where animals can choose and the wind can clear that (mould spore) dust away.”
Dropping it in the chopper or spreader only spreads the problem.
“Discard the parts that are obviously the worst and then unroll the rest. You can store the bad stuff and burn it later to control spore spread.”
Burning feed isn’t always intentional. Some feed will ignite on its own as the moulds’ other byproduct, heat, is produced in the warming weather.
“I expect we’ll see more than a few plumes of smoke on the horizon this year and some will be bales,” Yaremcio said.
Heat can also damage the feed’s value, destroying energy and vitamins A, D, E, K and thiamine.
Ensiled bales in plastic tubes are usually safer, but winter can play havoc with the plastic.
“Rodent damage may need to be fixed,” Yaremcio said.
“Birds can cut into it with their talons. This year we hear of coyote damage. They go after the rodents and tear up the coverings. Any holes should be repaired. If you can keep out the oxygen that feed will likely be good all the way through this season and into the next. If it is exposed to the air, it won’t take very long for that wet material to turn ugly.”
Racz said moulds and mycotoxins are not limited to hay.
“Some of that grain that was taken off in the snow will be reacting to warmer weather. Producers should be checking anything that was taken wet. They need to (begin drying it) or start turning it as soon as possible,” he said.
It’s easier to test grain (for mycotoxins) and there are good labs around that can do it.”
