In this episode of The Dairy Podcast Show, Dr. Lina Castano-Duque from USDA-ARS explores the critical role of predictive models in managing mycotoxin outbreaks in US corn. She discusses the key environmental factors, soil conditions, and insect pressure that drive fungal growth and toxin production, such as aflatoxins and fumonisins, which impact feed quality and herd health. Listen now on all major platforms!

"Planting in highly acidic soil increases the probability of a mycotoxin outbreak."

Meet the guest: Dr. Lina Castano-Duque is a plant pathologist at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) within the Agricultural Research Service (ARS). She serves as a permanent scientist at the Food and Feed Safety Research Unit, located at the Southern Regional Research Center in New Orleans. She holds a Ph.D. in Botany and Plant Biology from Penn State University and specializes in predictive modeling, fungal interactions, and crop pathology.