The province's Minister of Agriculture, Ernie Hardeman, is hosting a roundtable bringing Grain Farmers of Ontario, Beef Farmers of Ontario, Ontario Pork, Agricorp and other industry partners together “to work on possible solutions and ensure all farmers have up-to-date information” about the serious issue of vomitoxin, or DON, in this year's corn crop.
Vomitoxin is invisible and the only way to find out if the toxin is present is to test the crop.
Feed corn affected with vomitoxin can also be disruptive to hogs, cattle and dairy production.
In a release, Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson said she is well aware of the issue affecting many grain farmers, especially in Huron County.
“Unfortunately, this has been a year of weather systems that negatively impacted the planting, growing season and harvest throughout the riding.” Thompson said. “This created a perfect storm for the mould showing up on corn and has resulted in some yields registering toxin levels that could result in discounted pricing or even loads being refused,” she added.
She is encouraging farmers to have their yields tested for the mould, also known as DON (deoxynivalenol) and said that most lab tests take approximately two days with prices ranging from $20 to $40.
According to Thompson, Agricorp has released information on its support plan. For the 2018 crop, the corn salvage benefit will apply to harvested corn with DON levels over 5 ppm. The combined sum of bushels under 5 ppm and bushels covered by the salvage benefit cannot exceed a customer's guaranteed production. Customers will be paid $0.79 per eligible bushel to cover the extraordinary costs of corn with DON levels over 5 ppm.
To be eligible, customers must have supporting documentation, including weigh slips and DON level tests, and will be paid once their yield is finalized. She encourages growers to check with Agricorp for more information as well as OMAFRA on tips to deal with the toxin.
