What can producers do if faced with feeding corn to swine that exceed the dietary mycotoxin recommendations?
• Blend poor quality grain with clean grain. • Increase dietary protein level above the requirement. A study with nursery pigs showed that increasing dietary crude protein level 2% units above the requirement helped pigs resist aflatoxin. A similar response may be expected by adding 2 or 3 lb/ton of crystalline lysine to the diet. It is not known if a similar response would occur in growing-finishing swine. • Provide adequate vitamin supplementation. Aflatoxins interfere with the digestion of vitamins A, D, E, and K. Consider increasing dietary concentration of vitamins, especially in finishing pigs where vitamins may have been removed intentionally a few weeks before slaughter. • Add hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate or bentonite (sodium or calcium) to the feed to bind aflatoxin. These additives increase feed intake and growth in pigs fed aflatoxin-contaminated feed; however, full recovery of lost performance due to the aflatoxin seldom occurs. Inclusion rate is generally 10 lb/
