Because the 1996 wheat crop has a lot of scab damage, it is being diverted from human food to animal feed. Background Vomitoxin is a toxic chemical produced by the scab-causing fungus. The occurrence of scab does NOT automatically mean that vomitoxin is present, but high levels of scabby kernels in the harvested grain should be suspect. Vomitoxin causes feed refusal and poor weight gain in livestock.
Hogs are most sensitive to vomitoxin, even at one part per million contamination of hog feed.
The toxin can also cause problems in horses and in breeding and lactating animals, but at high concentrations. Cattle, sheep and poultry are more tolerant of vomitoxin. However, in the face of high corn prices, Indiana hog producers might be tempted by alternative protein sources such as discounted feed wheat, screenings, mill run and other wheat milling by-products. The Office of the Indiana State Chemist warns hog farmers to be wary of substituting available feed wheat which has significant scab damage. While there are means of testing for vomitoxin, it is probably easier to either avoid using any scab-damaged wheat as a substitute for corn or at least test feed it to a pen of pigs to see if they will eat it.