NCGA Members Discuss Aflatoxin Research with Multi-Crop Working
Group
(11-09-04)
Several grower leaders from the National Corn Growers Association
(NCGA) met recently with the Multi-Crop Aflatoxin Elimination Working
Group in Sacramento, Calif., to discuss the results of the latest
aflatoxin research and to outline future research opportunities
and funding strategies.
NCGA is a member of the working group, which was established in
1988 to help the U.S. Department of Agriculture pursue aflatoxin
elimination and serve as an informal liaison committee to assist
with aflatoxin research.
Aflatoxin is a naturally occurring mycotoxin (toxin produced by
various fungi), which is produced by two types of mold: Aspergillus
flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. Aspergillus flavus has especially
been prevalent for growers in recent years due to drought and other
stressful conditions that can promote the mold in certain grains.
Each year aflatoxins cost the U.S. agriculture and food industries
approximately $1 billion, significantly reducing the profitability
of corn growers across the United States.
“This is definitely a marketability issue,” said Texas
corn grower Scott Averhoff, chair of NCGA’s Mycotoxin Task
Force (MTF). “We’re dealing with increasingly restrictive
food quality standards. When you put your corn in the ground in
the spring, you want to have the assurance that you’ll be
able to market it in the fall. Right now, we don’t have that
assurance.”
Averhoff attended the meeting along with MTF member Danny Willingham;
David Gibson, executive director of the Texas Corn Producers Board;
Dewey Lee, state executive coordinator for the Georgia Corn Growers
Association; and Betsy Croker, NCGA director of public policy.
MTF and the
multi-crop working group continue to encourage the government
to appropriate additional funding to
address the aflatoxin
problem. “We’ve repeatedly gone to Congress in an attempt
to increase funding for the multi-crop working group and we’ll
continue to do that,” Averhoff said.
He said the group is also working with industry to improve the
resources available to growers to combat the problem, which contrary
to popular belief, is not confined solely to the southern United
States.
“We would like to see the commercial seed companies get
involved,” he said. “We’re letting them know
this is an important issue to us and it’s something they
should work on too. It’s not just growers in the South who
are experiencing these problems. It’s growers throughout
the Corn Belt.”