Graduate Student Corn petition: ADSA-ASAS Northeastern Branch.

The article presents abstracts of various research papers related to animal sciences, that were presented during the symposium held on July 25, 2005 in Cincinnati, Ohio, which was organized by the American Dairy Science Association, the American Society of Animal Science, and the Canadian Society of Animal Science. In one of the papers titled "The Effects of Damaging Ears of Corn in the Field and the Use of Potassium Sorbate on the Fermentation, Aerobic Stability, and Production of Mycotoxins in Corn Silage," researchers studied the effects of damaging ears of corn in the field and the use of potassium sorbate (PS) on silage fermentation and the production of mycotoxins in whole plant corn. Ears of corn were left alone or were slashed, 27 d or 9 d prior to harvest, exposing damaged kernels to the environment. Whole plants were harvested at 36% DM and ensiled in vacuum-sealed bags and 20-L laboratory silos (95 d) in a 2 x 3 x 3 factorial arrangement of treatments. Prolonged damage of ears in the field resulted in the production of mycotoxins. Aerobic deterioration of silage may also lead to production of specific mycotoxins.