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Some Ohio corn testing positive for vomitoxin

Some farmers in Ohio and eastern Indiana have corn testing positive for high levels of vomitoxin this year.

Sam Custer, an extension educator in Darke County is western Ohio says grain elevators in western Ohio and eastern Indiana reported higher than average vomitoxin levels starting in early October.

“And it appeared like, even as the grain quality looked better just from a visual appearance, the grain was looking pretty good. Some of that corn had the highest vomitoxin levels when they tested for it,” says Custer.

Custer tells Brownfield by mid-October, some elevators reported vomitoxin levels over 10 parts per million in random sampling. He says such levels can seriously limit the number of buyers for corn.

“Loads that are over five parts per million, our ethanol plants are going to reject, so they won’t have the option to sell that.” says Custer.

Custer says livestock producers can use some of the feed but the level of vomitoxin will determine who can buy the grain for livestock feed.

“Five parts per million is the highest level you can put it in a swine feed, and ten parts per million is the highest it can go into a poultry or a ruminant if that’s only half of a diet,” says Custer.

Custer says they believe late summer rains contributed to ear rot issues in corn which might have led to the vomitoxin in corn.

Audio: Sam Custer, Agriculture Educator, OSU Extension, Darke County Ohio