LITTLE RIVER – Farmers in Bell County are struggling to deal with an unusually large amount of a toxin that is infecting their corn crops and cutting into their wallets.
It’s called aflatoxin, and the heat wave that hit Central Texas this month caused excessive amounts of it to pop up in corn. It comes from the mold found in corn and is a naturally occurring toxin. Some farmers have seen up to three times the amount of aflatoxin they normally see.
If consumed by animals, it can be deadly to some of them. Corn is the number one ingredient for feed given to most livestock, and aflatoxin has been shown to cause damage to the animal’s liver. How much of the toxin is considered dangerous is decided by the Texas State Chemist and varies depending on the animal.
Farmers are expressing growing concerns over the inspection process. A process that can determine whether crops can go on to be sold or destroyed.
“I consider it playing Russian Roulette,” said Richard Cortese, who owns a farm in Little River and also works for the Texas Farm Bureau. ”You don’t know what kernels of corn they’re going to pull out of that truck.”
Cortese cites how some loads can pass inspection while others from the same truck get rejected. Estimates for how much money Texas corn growers have lost is at around $14 million.
Texas State Chemist Dr. Tim Herrman says there are programs in place to help farmers recoup some of the money lost by destroying crops.
“We work with the Risk Management Agency which administers federal crop insurance in a way that ideally should benefit producers if they’re carrying crop insurance,” said Dr. Herrman.
