FORT ATKINSON, Wis. – Owners and employees of Iowa’s 450 feed mills and roughly 600 grain elevators can participate Jan. 8-10 in Feed & Grain LIVE 19, a national convention for feed and grain professionals. Dr. Erin Bowers, an associate scientist with Iowa State University, will kick off the event at Prairie Meadows Casino and Hotel in Altoona.
Bowers will lead an important hands-on mycotoxin testing workshop Tuesday, Jan. 8. Following an overview, participants will team up to run mycotoxin analyses on grain samples using a rapid testing system. Helping feed and grain pros identify mycotoxins lets them better help area livestock producers feed their animals the highest-quality and purest feed possible. It also helps ethanol producers keep facilities operating problem-free.
“One thing we’ll focus on is what type of weather is conducive to promoting various types of mycotoxins, which are produced by fungus,” Bowers said. “We will cover the basis for how testing kits work. Just because a test kit is available doesn’t mean you can use it for any test. Some tests, for example, are only applicable for use testing specific grains or grain products.
“At a time when the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is coming into play, mycotoxins are important to all types of operations including ethanol producers and grain handlers as they must keep track of how they handle mycotoxins. This workshop will build a general level of understanding so that participants will know the right questions to ask to determine what’s right to do.”
Central Iowa is a natural location for this educational meeting as its mills and elevators employ approximately 5,300 people. More information is available at live.feedandgrain.com.
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