Aflatoxin, Mycotoxin, and Zearalanone in Corn
and Other Dairy Diets
Mycotoxins in Corn
1. They are just yeast. But to a dairy cow they can be deadly, and to a dairy farmer they kill profits. Microscopic impurities in corn, wheat, and other grain can destroy production and kill or maim cows. Milk losses can be astounding.
2. The most common naturally occurring toxins in corn are well known, and relatively well understood by scientists.
3. But they are extremely hard to detect, and they produce enormous losses if they drift into a dairy herd’s diet.
4. What can a dairy producer do to protect against these dangerous substances and other nutritional problems? Here are DOMINA LAW Group’s suggestions:
4.1. Purchase diet components with written contracts.
4.2. Include provisions in the contracts requiring all components be merchantable and fit for their intended use in the diets of high-producing dairy cows.
4.3. Acquire affirmative warranties that each component of diet is guaranteed to be free of toxins, adulteration, or other impurities.
4.4. Where possible, require that the seller test and guarantee the results of the tests of each component, and that each shipment is free from impurities.
4.5. Be sure the seller is financially solvent and can pay for losses, if any are sustained.
4.6. Ideally, require the seller provide proof of liability insurance covering the goods purchased.
5. Nutrition is everything on a dairy farm. An ounce of prevention is worth kilograms and kilograms of cure and millions of dollars of milk.
6. Finally, be sure the lawyer with whom you consult knows about the dairy business and understands what it means to draft the kind of contract needed to protect you. This is not an area for novice work.
Trial Practice. Not Just Talk.