Preliminary tests show mold found in Dakotas corn may not be as harmful to livestock as farmers feared.
The mold is blamed on a wet fall in North Dakota and South Dakota. But initial tests show the types of mold found on corn ears in the two states are not the types that make the corn inedible for cattle.
The corn mold is caused by different kinds of fungus with various colors, from green to pink to black. Some are relatively harmless while others can produce toxins that hurt livestock.
Plant pathologists at North Dakota State University and South Dakota State University say most of the corn samples tested so far have had nontoxic mold.
