Ruminate This | Agrarian Solutions
Ruminate This by Agrarian Solutions is your trusted source for insights on safeguarding ruminant health for a lifetime. From tackling the hidden threats of mycotoxins to optimizing gut health, immune function, and nutrition, we break down the biggest challenges impacting animal performance and producer profitability. But it’s not just about the science—we also explore workplace culture, leadership, and people development, because a strong team drives success. Tune in the first, third, and fifth Monday for insights, research, and real-world strategies to keep your herd and team thriving.
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Ruminate This | Agrarian Solutions
61: Mycotoxins & Subtle Stress: Why Cows Look Fine but Performance Drifts
What do you do when the cows look perfectly fine but performance keeps drifting? In this episode of Ruminate This, Scott Zehr breaks down the quiet, hard-to-detect issue plaguing many dairy herds: subtle biological stress, especially from low-level mycotoxins that rarely show up on a single feed test but can dramatically impact herd performance.
Scott explains how cows can look visually healthy while quietly battling stress that affects reproduction, rumination, immune function, intakes, components, manure consistency, and overall milk production.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Why cows “whisper” their symptoms instead of crashing.
- How low/medium DON, Zearalenone, T-2, and Fumonisin levels still cause major damage.
- Why mycotoxin tests often mislead (uneven distribution + sample variability).
- The real signs of toxin pressure: weak heats, cysts, SCC drift, soft milk, inconsistent manure, fluctuating intakes.
- Why patterns matter more than single data points.
- How to use Agrarian’s DTX Decision Chart to identify immune suppression.
- A real case where cows looked totally fine until toxin correction turned the herd around.
- Exactly what to review in your last 90 days of herd data to spot hidden stress before it becomes costly.
If your cows look “fine” but your numbers don’t, this episode will give you the clarity you’ve been searching for.
Resources:
🎧 Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform
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