Farmers seeking funds for mycotoxin research

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NCGA: Farmers Advocate For Mycotoxin Research Funds

3/9/2009

Last

week, corn farmers from Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi and

Alabama made Capitol Hill visits to advocate on important agriculture

issues. The group specifically was lobbying for agricultural research

funding to address ongoing concerns with mycotoxin contamination in

corn.

“It’s

crucial that agriculture works together on this issue, which is

especially important to farmers in the Southeast,†said Guy Davenport,

a grower from North Carolina who made the visits and is a member of the

National Corn Growers Association’s (NCGA) Corn Board. “Coming to

Washington was an important step in educating lawmakers about a very

real threat to our region’s agriculture and economy.â€

Mycotoxins

are toxic compounds produced by naturally occurring fungi in grains,

nuts, and oil seeds, which at high concentrations can present a health

threat to humans and animals. One type of mycotoxin is aflatoxin, which

is most prevalent in corn, cotton, peanuts and tree nuts. Aflatoxin is

most commonly related to drought-stressed corn followed by periods of

high humidity, and it more commonly occurs in southern states.

The

farmers were joined by representatives of five land-grant universities

in advocating for the funds. Texas A & M, Auburn University,

Mississippi State University, North Carolina State University and the

University of Georgia are all part of the Southern States Aflatoxin

Initiative.

The

group is seeking $5 million a year from the U.S. Department of

Agriculture over the next five years to establish and operate the

Aflatoxin Center of Excellent of the South. Research efforts will focus

on biological control and ecology, breeding and genetics for

resistance, best management practices, and remediation of contaminated

grain. A portion of the funding would be in the form of competitive

grants that could be available to researchers at universities across

the country who are doing work in this field.

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