Ontario Grain Farmer Magazine is the flagship publication of Grain Farmers of Ontario and a source of information for our province’s grain farmers.

Grain Farmers of Ontario

Topic: DON

Feeding the world

FROM THE CEO'S DESK

December 2023 - IT IS DECEMBER — THE end of another year, another season, and hopefully, another harvest. For Ontario’s farmers, it has been a challenging year — we have experienced wild weather, from early-season drought to record…
New markets for DON-infested corn

INNOVATIVE RESEARCH UNDERWAY

October 2022 - ONTARIO FARMERS PRODUCE over eight million metric tonnes of corn every year, but as growers know, some of it unavoidably becomes infested with vomitoxin, also known as deoxynivalenol or DON. DON is a mycotoxin produced…
Risks and rewards

FROM THE CEO'S DESK

September 2022 - ON THE HEELS of the summer barley, oat, and wheat harvest, Ontario’s farmers are preparing to harvest corn and soybeans — and everyone is anxious to see the result of the 2022 growing season. This…
Testing for DON in four key steps

ACHIEVING A CONSTANT AND ACCURATE DON TEST RESULT

October 2021 - COLLECT A REPRESENTATIVE GRAIN SAMPLE Obtain a representative grain sample of no less than 2 kg. a. For delivered grain, before dumping ensure at least four pneumatic probe samples are taken. Sampling shall be comprised…
DON in corn

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

October 2021 - WHAT IS DON (DEOXYNIVALENOL)? A mycotoxin produced primarily by Gibberella ear rot that devalues grain corn when sold to buyers resulting in price reductions for grain sales. If infected grain is consumed, humans and animals…
DON-infected corn

LEARNINGS FROM TWO RESEARCH PROJECTS

August 2021 - The DON outbreak in 2018 had a widespread impact on farmers’ profitability and created challenges throughout the grain supply chain. Grain Farmers of Ontario has funded research to mitigate the impact of the next DON…
Web Special

Is DON a concern?

CORN CROP UPDATE

July 2021 - CORN IS APPROACHING the pollination stage across the province. At this stage, we are reminded that the first infection of gibberella ear rot can occur if the viable silks are exposed to the right conditions.…
Web Special

Improving DON detection in harvested grain

GRINDER-BASED SYSTEM REDUCES VARIABILITY IN TEST RESULTS

May 2021 - VARIABLE AND INCONSISTENT DON test results from sampled truckloads at the elevator or end user are frustrating and problematic for farmers, elevators, and end users. This issue was particularly problematic during the 2018 harvest season.…
Web Special

Storage flexibility in DON-infected corn

GRAIN BAGS OFFER GOOD ALTERNATIVE TO IMMEDIATE SHIPPING

March 2021 - GRAIN BAGS OFFER Ontario farmers another way of reliably storing vomitoxin-infected corn, according to a recently concluded Grain Farmers of Ontario-funded study. Participants in the research project say bag storage is a flexible, practical alternative…
Focusing on DON

MYCOTOXIN PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT RESEARCH

February 2020 - THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN mycotoxins and grain farmers is a toxic one, and it’s driving Grain Farmers of Ontario to continue investing in management and prevention research. The following highlights three such projects. WHAT YOU NEED…