Animal mortality is a serious problem for livestock farms. Specialists of different levels regularly raise this issue and try to find a solution. However, the cause of the problem is deeper and more tragic than the negligence of individual livestock farmers or the inadequate qualifications of zootechnicians and veterinarians.
It turns out that climate change is partially increasing the loss of young animals - this is typical for many countries. Here's how it works.
Plant growth is controlled by
phytohormones — substances synthesized by plants for their own growth and development. Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and micronutrients applied to the soil are neutral until taken up by the plant. Phytohormones are required for the assimilation of beneficial substances from the soil.
One of them,
cytokinin, takes up substances from the soil and delivers them to the phytohormone
auxin, which stimulates cell division and plant growth.
Imagine a field where corn has been planted. It has sprouted, the first leaves have appeared, and it is time to chemically treat the crop for weeds. The treatment stops auxin production in the plants and inhibits plant growth. At the same time, cytokinin continues to provide nutrients that are not being used. In such an environment of high temperature and low humidity, molds begin to develop and produce a by-product —
mycotoxins.
They, in turn, accumulate in grains and green plant matter used in animal feed. The mycotoxin enters the animal's digestive system with the feed, adheres to the walls of the stomach, is absorbed into the blood, and eventually leads to death.
The first peak of deaths occurs a few weeks after birth when calves switch from colostrum to milk from cows that have consumed silage containing mycotoxins. Mycotoxin poisoning causes stomach upset and then death of the calf.
The next peak in mortality occurs when young animals are weaned at two to three months of age. At this point, animals can easily die.
It is difficult to control. There are so many types of fungi, it's hard to find the right antibiotics. And the warmer the climate, the more mycotoxins accumulate in the feed and the higher the mortality rate.