Extreme Processing Reduces Toxicity of Ergot

Research being conducted by the University of Saskatchewan will benefit swine producers whose crops have been contaminated by ergot. Researchers with the University of Saskatchewan are evaluating the effect of various forms of feed processing using heat and moisture, such as pelleting, extrusion and steam explosion in reducing the toxic effects of ergot contamination.

 

Dr. Denise Beaulieu, an Assistant Professor Monogastric Nutrition in the University of Saskatchewan's College of Agriculture and Bioresources, says preliminary results show extreme processing using steam explosion reduced the toxic effects of the ergot alkaloids.

 

 

Ergot is one of a series of mycotoxins that we see produced by a fungus that we see. It infects primarily wheat and rye and grasses. If livestock consume very small amounts of ergot, we'll see decreased feed intake and decreased growth and if they consume more it has an effect on circulation so it can actually cause gangrene and in very high amounts, they can lose tails and lose their ears and maybe even hooves often you'll see.

 

Also in sows that are lactating it'll cause milk output to be decreased. In years where we know there is contamination, for example, we wouldn't encourage producers to feed contaminated grains but in years where there is severe contamination, they might want to take steps to prevent the effects of ergot and or other mycotoxins in case some of the grain they are feeding has contaminants in it.

 

Some years a low level of contamination is in a lot of our feed grains. It varies from year to year depending upon the environment during the growing season.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.