Handling Flood Damaged Forage, Grain Crops and Livestock Feed Products
Recently many acres of grain and forage crops were inundated by floodwaters in Wisconsin.  There is concern about the potential use of these crops for food or feed, since floodwaters can contain sewage, petroleum, heavy metals, pesticides or other contaminants and can also predispose these crops to molds and the development of toxins.  Since this has been an unusual event, there is little local precedent for dealing with this issue.

Flood Damaged Feed and Food Crops
Food and feed crops that are exposed to flood waters or moisture damage are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure the safety of our food supply.  In the past, flooded grain terminals or grain terminals that have had fires extinguished with river or sea water have been subjected to these regulations.  FDA considers flood water to be inherently unsanitary and considers food, including grains, which have been in contact with flood water, to be unfit for human consumption or animal feed, unless reconditioned.  Plans to recondition food or feed crops must be reviewed and approved by FDA, on a case by case basis.

Animal feed products that have been exposed to flood waters are considered adulterated.  FDA will consider specific written proposals to recondition flood water damaged grain intended for use in animal feed and human food.  Since corn and soybeans may be marketed in Wisconsin for either food or animal use, grains exposed to flood waters should not be marketed through conventional grain marketing channels until reviewed by FDA. 

FDA Policy on Moisture Damaged Grain

FDA Approval Procedures for Moisture Damaged Feed Products

Requests for approval for feed use should be made to the FDA District Office in Minneapolis Minnesota.  The District office will transmit the requests to Division of Compliance, Center for Veterinary Medicine for evaluation.  For questions on this issue, the main contact persons with FDA in our region are:

• Tim Philips, (612) 758-7133
• Brian Garthwaite, (612) 758-7132

There are many methods to recondition food or feed crops.  All plans should include a method to identify and reduce the contaminants to acceptable levels.  The key is to know what the contaminants are and what restrictions they impose on your product.

Laboratory Testing for Contaminants
The following list should not be considered an endorsement by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.  The laboratory listing is provided as information only.  When you contact the labs for testing services, explain that you are testing for contaminants likely carried by floodwaters.  Ask if they can test for one or more of the following contaminants:

• Pesticides
• Fertilizers
• Fecal material
• Heavy metals
• Molds/mycotoxins

Marketing Approved Grains
Feed products that have been exposed to flood waters should be marketed for feed only after being evaluated, and deemed safe for use by the FDA.  In the short term, this will involve keeping this product separate from non-adulterated feeds and pursuing testing and approval procedures from FDA before marketing.  Specific testing procedures will be identified by FDA but could include bacteria, mycotoxins, heavy metals, or pesticides. Blending of adulterated grain with other grain is specifically prohibited.  Adulterated feed products marketed in commercial channels are regulated by FDA and WDATCP.  Adulterated feed products in commerce may be subject to regulatory action that could include withdrawal from distribution, or criminal penalties.

Feed Intended for On Farm Use
Grain and forage crops raised and intended to be fed on that farm are not subject to these regulations because they are not in commercial distribution.  However, we recommend:

• Consider the effects of the feed contaminants on the food products produced by your animals, i.e. milk residues.
• Segregate these feed products from other non-adulterated products.  For example, if your grain bin was surrounded by flood water, and you are able to scalp grain from the top of the bin, and test to verify that it was not contaminated
• Evaluate the feed crops before feeding to animals, including forages.
• Evaluate the feeding areas used by your animals, including pastures and feedlots.
• The evaluation should use the appropriate tests to check if these were exposed to flood waters that may have carried chemical, microbiological or microbial toxins.  See above for testing laboratories.

There is no way to completely understand the risk associated with feeding these crops.  It may be small, but there is still a risk that some crops have been exposed to unknown contaminants or may have developed mycotoxins associated with the molds that developed on the crops.  Feeding adulterated feed products could lead to unwanted residues in eggs, meat or milk that could have additional regulatory consequences.  The ideal situation would be to not to harvest crops that have come in contact with flood waters, but this may not be feasible.  With careful testing and management it may be possible to minimize the risks and potential liability associated with the feeding and use of these crops.  When sampling products for any analysis, it is crucial that a representative sample of the grain is obtained.  If you need assistance assessing the potential of contaminants from flood waters, consider contacting your local Public Health Department.

Wisconsin Local Public Health Department Listing

For further questions on flood contaminated feed or animal food, contact Eric Nelson
DATCP, Feed Safety Specialist, Eric.nelson@wisconsin.gov, 608-224-4539.

Flooding and Stored Grain - Iowa State University
Iowa also experienced extensive flooding in June 2008. Iowa State University Extension's web page provides similar information to what is listed above but also advises on structural issues with flooded grain bins. There is also on-farm feeding options and how to use reconditioned grains in a ration.