Source:  NCDA&CS, 8/27/09

Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler is encouraging farmers to have their corn tested for aflatoxin to prevent contamination of feeds and food.

Aflatoxin is a byproduct of the mold Aspergillus flavus. “This toxin can be harmful to both humans and livestock, so it’s worth a farmer’s time and effort to have corn tested,” Troxler said.

Some farmers may need to have corn samples tested for crop insurance purposes. These farmers must submit their samples to a grain marketing location certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The tests cost $22.20. Farmers should send a 5-pound sample of shelled corn by mail, UPS or FedEx to one of the following USDA-certified grain marketing locations:

Cargill Soybean Plant
Attn: Ben Honeycutt
1400 S. Blount St.
Raleigh, NC 27601
(919) 733-4491

Grain Grading Office
Attn: Judy Grimes
407-G Griffin St.
Elizabeth City, NC 27909
(252) 337-9782

Aflatoxin tests for other purposes are free and will be conducted at the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Constable Laboratory, 4000 Reedy Creek Road in Raleigh. Farmers may drop off 5-pound samples of shelled corn at the lab or at one of the following agricultural research stations:

• Border Belt Tobacco Research Station, 86 Border Belt Drive, Whiteville, (910) 648-4703; Ray Horton, superintendent.
• Peanut Belt Tobacco Research Station, 112 Research Station Lane, Lewiston-Woodville, (252) 348-2213; Tommy Corbett, superintendent; station contact is Margaret Pierce.
• Tidewater Research Station, 207 Research Station Road, Plymouth, (252) 793-4118; Jewell Tetterton, superintendent.
• Lower Coastal Plain Tobacco/Cunningham Research Station, 200 Cunningham Road, Kinston, (252) 527-3579; Phillip Winslow, superintendent.
• Piedmont Research Station, 8350 Sherrills Ford Road, Salisbury, (704) 278-2624; Joe Hampton, superintendent.
• Mountain Horticultural Crops Research Station, 74 Research Drive, Fletcher, (828) 684-7197; Denny Thompson, superintendent.

Forms for submitting samples will be available at collection sites.

Samples also may be mailed directly to the lab at the following address:

N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Food and Drug Protection Division
1070 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1070

For additional information about the aflatoxin testing program, contact Jennifer Godwin or Michelle Gilliam at the NCDA&CS Food and Drug Protection Division, (919) 733-7366.