By SHELLY STRAUTZ-SPRINGBORN
Michigan Correspondent

STANTON, Mich. — Mild, wet conditions across much of Michigan are slowing corn harvest and contributing to widespread mold in the state’s corn crop.

According to Michigan State University extension district agriculture educator Fred Springborn, the type of mold being detected in western Michigan is not a type that is typically associated with mycotoxins.

Mycotoxins are toxic substances produced by certain molds, which have the ability to make livestock sick if present in a high enough concentration. Hogs tend to be more sensitive to mycotoxins than cattle or poultry. The presence of mycotoxins does not affect ethanol production but can affect the distiller’s grain, which often is fed to livestock.

Much of the mold in the Michigan crop is saprophytic. The saprophytic molds are a mold commonly found on a wide range of dead plant material and are an early stage of plant decay.

“Wet, somewhat warm, conditions and grain that is high in moisture and drying down slowly has favored the development of these molds. Cladosporium is one of the most common of the saprophytic molds identified on corn in the west-central area of lower Michigan,” Springborn said. “Corn that had been wounded by insects, notably Western bean cutworm, likely has a variety a saprophytic molds present in and around the wound site. The majority of these saprophytic molds are not known to produce mycotoxins.

“Those who feed livestock need to be cautious of molds due to the possibility of the presence of mycotoxins,” he added. “But, there is very little direct human concern.”

In Gratiot County, MSU Gratiot County extension Director Dan Rossman said a minimal amount of mold has been detected in the crop, but it is not of much concern to growers.

“So far people haven’t been concerned about it too much. We’ve run a couple of variety plots. We have noticed a few of the varieties have had more of a surface hit – that there was some mold on the ear. But, so far it hasn’t been too big of a concern or an issue,” Rossman said.

According to the Nov. 16 crop report from the USDA National Ag Statistics Service Michigan Field Office, “Field activities progressed at a faster pace due to warmer than normal temperatures.
“Some growers continued to experience harvest delays due to high moisture content in corn grain.”

Corn harvest is continuing throughout the state, as conditions permit. Only 35 percent of the state’s corn crop was harvested as of the Nov. 16 report, however, compared to 81 percent last year.
“Moisture levels remained high in the corn crop. Therefore, growers experienced high drying costs and lengthy lines at elevators,” the report stated.

In a news release, Bruce Sutherland, vice president of Michigan Agricultural Commodities (MAC), said from what he has seen, quality has been decent for the earliest corn.

“We haven’t seen much mold yet, but there are some other obvious challenges,” he said. “We’ve probably lost the weather we need to dry it down in the field. We’ve lost our warm and sunny days. Not only that, but we’re seeing lower test weights, and lower quality in kernel strength. And the longer it’s left in the field, the more it will deteriorate.

“We’ve been fighting the weather demons, but the Western states are also dealing with a late crop, and their mold and moisture is higher than ours.”

Drying the corn crop will stop the growth of molds, and reducing the amount of fines in threshed grain will reduce concentration of potential mycotoxins and mold levels. “Reducing fines and foreign material in threshed grain will be important for those who will store corn on farm this year in bins. Fines and foreign material will prevent proper air flow through the grain bin and can lead to hot spots in the bin,” Springborn said.

In addition, eliminating husk and other foreign matter from cribbed ear corn will improve airflow throughout the crib, thus helping reduce the risk of additional mold.

Elsewhere in the Midwest, parts of Indiana and western Ohio have reported mycotoxins in their corn grain. Much of this has been associated with the presence of Gibberella ear rot, a disease that has, so far, not been widely detected in Michigan.

(For the sake of disclosure, it is noted that Fred Springborn is married to this writer.)