PSXI-8 Corn stover feedlot diets with elevated mycotoxins and binder effect on cattle performance

Abstract

Weather conditions often dictate the quality of corn, corn silage, and corn stover harvested for livestock feed. When growing and/or harvest conditions are wet, mycotoxin producing fungi can flourish. Mycotoxin levels were determined to be elevated in the fall 2018 corn crop (Table 1). A 3 x 2 factorial experiment was initiated to observe effects of a mycotoxin binder, hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate (Engage-M, United Animal Health, Sheridan, IN), on cattle performance. Three treatment diets with elevated mycotoxin levels were amended with Engage-M fed at 0 or 14 g hd-1 d-1. Steers (n = 72, 12 pens total) were fed during Grow (21 d) and Finish (51 d) phases. During the Grow phase a 52% corn silage, 20% DDGS, and 8% supplement basal diet was fed and treatments were an additional 20% diet DM included as corn silage (CSIL), conventional corn stover (CST), or single-pass bale stover (SPB). Cattle fed Engage-M during Grow phase had numerically higher daily gains, 1.35 kg d-1, compared to no binder, 1.26 kg d-1 (P = 0.17). During the Finish phase, all cattle were fed similarly (72.1% rolled corn, 12% corn silage, 8.9% DDGS, 7% supplement diet DM). Cattle fed Engage-M tended (P = 0.09) to have increased daily gains, 2.07 kg d-1, compared to no binder, 1.9 kg d-1. Dry matter intake was similar for both treatments during the Finish trial, 12.9 kg hd-1 d-1 (P = 0.83), suggesting the increase in cattle performance was due to improved utilization of feed and not feed intake. The Finish phase feed to gain ratio was 6.25 vs. 6.83 (P = 0.06) with and without Engage-M, respectively. The trend was for cattle fed Engage-M to be 9.2% more efficient. The present study suggests that feeding Engage-M may increase cattle performance when diets have elevated levels of zearalenone and vomitoxin.

Mixtures of Mycotoxins, Phytoestrogens, and Other Secondary Metabolites in Whole-Plant Corn Silages and Total Mixed Rations of Dairy Farms in Central and Northern Mexico

“…Corn stover is the stalks, leaves, and husks that remain in the field after corn harvest [ 94 ]. It has been reported as a source of abundant exposure to Fusarium mycotoxins such as Fs, ZEN, and DON [ 95 , 96 ]. The content of ergot alkaloids correlated to the proportion of concentrate in the diet, confirming previous reports that related cereal grains with ergot alkaloids [ 97 ].…”