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Karnal Bunt in Texas Wheat Belt Could Result in a Feeding Opportunity for Feedyards by Jill J. Dunkel A virtual disaster to the North Texas wheat belt could result in cheaper feeds for feedyards. The culprit is microscopic, but its results are lingering. It's Karnal Bunt, two words that farmers and cattlemen in North Texas have become all too familiar with. What is Karnal Bunt? Karnal Bunt is a smut-type fungus that attacks wheat and triticale. It is caused by microscopic spores that can live in the soil for up to five years until the right weather conditions -- cool and wet -- permit the spores to infect wheat. The affect on yields is minor, and there is no threat to humans or livestock that ingest bunted wheat. At most, a large number of bunted kernels can make the wheat or wheat flour have a fishy smell, however that is only if infection levels are far-reaching. The disease is spread largely by planting infected seed. It can also be moved by harvesting with infected combines and spreading manure with Karnal Bunt positive kernels on fields. The United States established a zero-tolerance for Karnal Bunt in the early 1980s, when the fungus was found in Mexico. Since that time, about 80 countries have followed the U.S. and established similar policies. There are 25 to 30 countries that will accept the positive wheat, however, at press time there was not an export elevator that would accept the grain to ship. USDA APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) officials are currently working with an elevator on the Texas Gulf Coast to ship positive grain to countries that will accept it. This summer, four counties in North Texas have been quarantined due to the fungus, as well as San Saba county in Central Texas. The quarantine regulates wheat, any wheat product, cattle grazing on wheat, and the manure of cattle consuming wheat. Since the fungus doesn't infect the wheat until it reaches the doe stage, wheat hay and silage cut before the doe stage can be declared exempt from the quarantine, but only after it's been inspected for the presence of kernels. Cattle that are pulled off wheat before the doe stage are exempt from the quarantine. However, cattlemen must log when cattle move off of wheat fields. Opportunities for Feedyards? So how does this pesky fungus -- that does little damage to the wheat or yields -- translate to cheaper feed for feedyards? Traditional outlets for wheat are refusing to purchase the grain from the quarantined counties. Since the spore is killed if it reaches 170 degrees Fahrenheit, steam flaking the wheat is a viable option for feedlots. According to many USDA APHIS officials, feeding the grain in a feedyard is a natural place for the grain to go. Since the spore is killed, there is no risk in spreading the spore through manure. (See related article on Feeding Karnal Bunt Wheat on pg 36-37). As of press time, there is not a set market price for positive Karnal Bunt wheat. However, on Monday, August 6, 2001, the USDA published its Karnal Bunt compensation plan for farmers. According to the plan, growers in Archer, Baylor, Throckmorton and Young counties are eligible for compensation for positive grain or positive certified seed at a rate "not to exceed $1.80 per bushel." For example, if the market price is $3.00 and selling price is $1.50, the spread is $1.50 and the USDA will pay $1.50/bushel for compensation. Those in San Saba only receive $.60/bushel compensation due to previous compensation in that county. Karnal Bunt was first found in San Saba in 1996, however, the county was Karnal Bunt-free until 2001, when most of Texas experienced a cool and wet spring. Feeding negative tested wheat from the area is not regulated. Could Karnal Bunt be in other Areas? At this time, Karnal Bunt is not officially known to be in other large wheat-producing states, like Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. The USDA conducts a voluntary National Karnal Bunt Survey each year, which involves a random sample of wheat across the country. In 2001, positive wheat was found only in the quarantined counties. Current Concerns for Feedyards The quarantine was not inacted until June 2001, weeks after all graze-out wheat pasture cattle were shipped from the area. Experts estimate approximately 250,000 head are grazed on wheat in the four now-quarantined counties. The vast majority of these cattle were shipped to feedyards in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado. Future concerns lie in if the fungus may be spread by the infected manure of these cattle. The spore on bunted kernels is just as viable before a calf eats infected wheat as after, and it takes five days for the animal to clean the wheat through its system. If cattle in the quarantined area grazed infected wheat, then their manure is also positive. In the feedyard, that's not a problem. But when a yard cleans its pens and spreads the manure on a local field, a large spore load can infect that field -- if it is planted in wheat or triticale. To prevent additional contamination in other areas, the suspect manure can be spread on pastureland, or land not intended to grow wheat or triticale for five years. Information for this article was obtained from several USDA meetings held in the quarantined area and USDA press releases. |
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