TOXIN INFECTS CROPS; AFTER FLOOD BATTLE, FARMERS FIGHT AGAIN

Southeast Missouri farmers, who have already battled floods and drought this year, are now battling a new enemy with the discovery of aflatoxin in some newly harvested corn.

Many farmers are taking their corn crops to grain elevators, only to find that aflatoxin levels are too high and it is rejected. Further complicating the problem is that testing procedures use random samples and loads of corn rejected at one elevator as too high, may be accepted somewhere else.

Aflatoxin is one of the most toxic substances known to man and one of the most carcinogenic. It often shows up on corn crops that have been under stress and is believed to have been caused by drought conditions this year.

Aflatoxin is a fungus that gets on corn, and according to Food and Drug Administration standards, if there is more than 20 parts per billion of aflatoxin present in a load of corn, elevators have to reject it for general use. Corn with slightly higher levels can be used for livestock feed.

Jake Fischer, director of the University of Missouri's Delta Research Center in Portageville, and Lloyd Smith, chief of staff to 8th district U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson, both say they have been deluged with phone calls from frustrated farmers.

"If one grain in a load is infected, they will reject the entire load," said Fisher. "They can go to one elevator and be rejected and go to another and be accepted. It has all been very erratic, which is very frustrating for farmers."

Smith said he has been overwhelmed with calls from farmers the last two weeks about the situation. "It's an awful problem," said Smith. "As the corn harvest moves north it appears to be showing up everywhere. I've never seen anything like this."

Most of the corn being harvested right now is from Benton south.

Fisher said the Delta Center is taking samples of varieties of corn to determine if any varieties are resistant to aflatoxin. "We're trying to identify some pattern this year but have not been able to do that," said Fisher. "We are trying to decide on what research we need to do.

"But my main concern right now is getting rid of this corn this year. We're talking about 90 percent of some people's income. If we don't get this worked out now, some of them won't be around to plant corn next year."

Fisher estimated that 12-14 percent of the corn taken to elevators in Southeast Missouri has been rejected so far.

One possible solution to the problem is allowing corn tainted with aflatoxin to be blended with "clean" corn so it could be sold. On Friday, John L. Saunders, director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture, sent a letter requesting the FDA to allow blending.

Saunders suggested that guidelines used in 1988 when there was a major outbreak in Iowa, be applied to this situation. By blending, the finished level would not be about 20, 100, 200, or 300 ppb, depending on the intended use of the corn. The blending and final testing would be done under the supervision of federal or state authorities.

Without approval for blending, the tainted corn cannot be moved in interstate commerce.

Emerson, in a letter that accompanied Saunders' request, advised FDA officials of the crisis facing Missouri farmers, particularly those in southern Missouri.

"Due to climatic and natural conditions beyond the control of local farm producers, aflatoxin adulterated corn has contaminated significant portion's of Missouri's 1993 corn harvest," Emerson wrote. "Unfortunately, this contamination has reached epidemic proportions throughout much of Southern Missouri's corn producing areas."

Emerson urged the agency to allow Missouri to use the 1988 FDA policy. "Missouri's corn producers have no other option in place of possible destruction or other undesirable disposal propositions at both a dramatic cost and potential loss of an individual's entire corn crop," the congressman said.

Without the approval, Emerson warned that Missouri farmers - already devastated by both drought and excessive rainfall - will face even more economic losses. "Clearly, this is yet another `natural disaster' that our farmers and related industries can ill afford," he added.

Tommy Hopkins, of the state agriculture department's grain inspection division, said the department is offering free grain testing at New Madrid to help ensure an accurate diagnosis of aflatoxin.

Hopkins explained that most of the testing is done by the "black light method," which is a preliminary screening method. This test can show an entire load contaminated, even if only a few grains have aflatoxin.

Agriculture officials recommend that farmers collect at least 10 pounds of grain from a truckload and thoroughly grind and mix it before testing. This helps ensure a representative sample of the grain. The 20 ppb limit is for the average of the entire load.

Al Wrather, plant pathologist at the Delta Center, warns that aflatoxin can develop further in storage. He also suggests that farmers thoroughly clean combines to keep it spreading to future corn harvested by it.

So far this year, aflatoxin has been reported mainly on land that is not irrigated. "Growers should harvest the irrigated portion of their fields first and have those tested. Save the dry corners and drought affected areas of field until last and keep that grain separate from the rest," Wrather suggested.

In 1971, when there was a severe outbreak of aflatoxin, 80,000 bushels of corn were buried in a Scott County landfill on orders of government agencies.

Sen. Jerry Howard, D-Dexter, who represents the Bootheel counties, said he has attended several meetings on the problem and that federal agencies will have to step in to make allowances.

"It's a very tricky problem because we have a very toxic substance here," said Howard. "We've got farmers who need a pay check and are taking their commodities to market and then finding out they may not get a pay check until next year. That's a serious problem."

Rep. Larry Thomason, D-Kennett, agrees on the need for federal help. "Certainly it is serious. You can't look at it any other way. If you are a grain farmer and your produced corn is affected, you have lost a lot of income," he said.

Emerson said he has received some verbal assurances that the FDA will resolve problems as it did in 1988, but is looking forward to hearing definite approval soon.

Fisher adds that not only are farmers frustrated, but so are operators of grain elevators who risk buying contaminated corn or who will have problems finding markets for what they buy.

"These people worked so hard to get the crop up to this point and now they can't sell it," said Fisher. "It is very, very frustrating."