The small and large intestine linings are singular cell layers separating the digesta contents and the bloodstream. The epithelial cell layer is responsible for absorbing nutrients and keeping pathogens in the digestive tract and out of the body. The intestinal mucous layer is a chemical barrier protecting against pathogens. The physical barrier at the intestinal lining consists primarily of two parts: the digestive tract lining cells themselves and the tight junction proteins tightly holding the cells together.

Unfortunately, destruction of the individual digestive tract lining cells creates holes in the castle wall. Tight junctions may fail to renew themselves, thereby creating a gap between digestive tract lining cells. Either failure of the physical barrier leaves a way for mycotoxins, pathogens, and digesta to enter the bloodstream for distribution throughout the body.

During heat stress, high-producing dairy cows naturally reduce feed intake which reduces the heat load of digestion. Increasing the blood flow to the skin dissipates heat, which decreases blood flow to the digestive tract and reproductive system. Reducing water intake and decreasing blood flow to the digestive tract results in the shrinking of the cells lining the gut, thereby stretching the tight junctions attempting to connect the gut lining cells. Consequently, the physical barrier created by the linked tight junctions fails. The shrunken cells are also weaker and more susceptible to damage and cell death.

Mycotoxins, especially DON and T2/HT2, are specialists at disrupting the castle wall of the digestive tract. They are potent digestive tract cell killers and tight junction disruptors. Their main action is to turn off protein synthesis, stopping the renewal of tight junction proteins and leading to broken junctions between cells. Within the cell, shutting down protein synthesis quickly leads to cell death and a loss of the digestive tract cell, thus creating a hole in the castle wall.

The simultaneous occurrence of heat stress and mycotoxins creates a cascade of havoc for animals by decreasing feed intake, leaving fewer nutrients available for normal functions, and resolving the inflammation associated with digestive tract damage, which eventually results in fewer nutrients available for milk production and reproduction. During hot weather, this challenge may intensify because poorly and improperly stored feeds are at risk of mold growth, increasing the risk of mycotoxin production in storage.

DTX™ Concentrate is specifically designed to protect the digestive tract during stressful situations such as summer heat stress and mycotoxin contamination. Agrarian’s proprietary bacteria technology upregulates the natural defenses of the digestive tract cells, enabling the protection from damage. The plant phytogenics curcumin and naringin work together to support tight junction protein renewal for protecting the tight junctions from damage. The combination of microbial and phytogenic technologies protects cows from digestive tract disruption, thus reducing inflammation and the associated nutrient costs. Consequently, nutrients can be allocated to productive purposes making milk, getting, and staying pregnant.

Authors: Caroline Knoblock, MSc, – Director of Nutrition, Agrarian Solutions and Larry Roth, Ph.D., PAS – Vice President of Nutrition

The post Defending and Protecting Against Leaky Gut and Mycotoxins appeared first on Agrarian Solutions.

Although inflammation is a normal part of the calving and healing process, it can be exacerbated by many different environmental factors. The mammary gland starts producing milk, opening the teat ends to potential pathogen exposure several times a day. The diet changes from a high-forage diet to a low-forage ration altering gut bacteria and pH. Heat stress or feed hygiene issues like mycotoxins can add additional stress to the gut. And importantly, but often overlooked, the uterus must heal itself from calving and defend against pathogen infiltration to prevent infection.

The immune system oversees all these events. The good news is the immune system is effective at protecting itself and resolving inflammation quickly, but it also has a high nutrient requirement. Research indicates that a cow’s dry matter intake can decrease 30% in the week before calving, consequently, the immune system may not have the needed nutrient resources to resolve inflammation quickly and prevent infection.

There are a few things we can do to support cows during this time: 1) support feed intake and 2) provide key micronutrients that she may not be eating. A combination of management and key product usage will help dairy cows calve successfully, resolve inflammation quickly, and become productive cows that increase intake quickly, make milk, and get and stay pregnant.

There is no such thing as a silver bullet product to provide the different types of support needed by transition cows, making a program approach necessary. This allows farms to adapt products to their situations and support their cows’ specific needs. Agrarian Solutions has two key transition cow products that support the cow during this period. BioFresh® Microbial Bolus and Cow Start™ Complete can work in tandem to support dairy cows to defend themselves from inflammation and help protect the farm’s profitability.

BIOFRESH Microbial Bolus can be utilized any time the dairy cow is experiencing low feed intake, which can be detected by cow activity and health monitoring systems. Producers have also had excellent results when using the Microbial Bolus at calving when cows need support to increase feed intake quickly. The bolus utilizes Agrarian’s proprietary bacteria technology to support the rumen and gut microbiome, as well as other important bacteria. This microbial combination encourages feed intake and improves rumen function.

Cow Start Complete is a transition cow supplement used at calving to support the newly calved cow’s essential micronutrients and antioxidants needs, including selenium, calcium, magnesium and vitamin E to support the immune system during this critical period when the cow is not eating enough of these nutrients. An important feature of Cow Start Complete is the slow release of nutrients during the first 48 hours after receiving the bolus at calving, enabling farms to only give the boluses once, hence the slogan: Done once, done right.

Utilizing a program approach can help farms improve cow health with a direct impact to improve milk production and fertility. Cows that calve in well and do not experience a health event are much more likely to become and stay pregnant on the first service.

Authors: Caroline Knoblock, MSc, – Director of Nutrition, Agrarian Solutions and Larry Roth, Ph.D., PAS – Vice President of Nutrition

The post Transition Cow Management: A Program Approach to Health, Milk Production, and Fertility appeared first on Agrarian Solutions.

In this presentation, Dr. Larry Roth, Vice President of Nutrition at Agrarian Solutions, explores the biological and economic consequences of mycotoxin exposure in dairy cattle. Originally presented at the Wisenetix Dairy Feed Additive Summit, this discussion examines how mycotoxins influence nutrient allocation, reproductive performance, and herd efficiency, and what producers can do to mitigate their impact.

Key topics covered include:

• What mycotoxins are and how they develop in feedstuffs
• The most common mycotoxins affecting North American dairies, including DON, zearalenone, T-2 toxin, fumonisin, and aflatoxin
• Why multiple mycotoxins are increasingly common in modern dairy production
• How mycotoxins damage gut integrity and increase nutrient demands on the immune system
• The relationship between nutrient allocation, reproductive success, and herd profitability
• Research evaluating traditional mycotoxin binders and their limitations
• Independent field trial results demonstrating improved pregnancy rates with DTX™ technology
• Practical recommendations for mycotoxin testing and mitigation strategies

Dr. Roth also reviews results from a commercial dairy trial involving more than 900 cows, highlighting improvements in pregnancies per service for both artificial insemination and embryo transfer programs.

Watch on YouTube

Listen on your favorite podcast platform

The post Dairy Feed Additive Summit: How Much Are Mycotoxins Costing Your Dairy Operation? appeared first on Agrarian Solutions.

In the episode, Dr. Roth explains how mycotoxins can impact dairy cow health, nutrient utilization, gut integrity, liver function, and overall herd performance. He also shares practical information on identifying risk factors, testing strategies, and emerging technologies such as IgY and probiotics that may help improve herd resilience when dealing with contaminated feeds.

The podcast offers valuable information for producers, nutritionists, and industry professionals looking to better understand the hidden performance costs associated with mycotoxin exposure.

Available on all major podcast platforms.

The post Mycotoxins and Dairy Cow Health on The Dairy Podcast Show appeared first on Agrarian Solutions.

In 2023, the researchers contacted dairy producers, calf raisers and haulers through digital advertisement, email, and extension agents to complete an online survey. Dairy producers (n = 69) were surveyed for colostrum management, health evaluations, and marketing channels, while those receiving calves (n = 29) responded to questions about calf condition at arrival, preweaning disease incidence, and preconditioning requirements. Calf haulers (n = 25) replied regarding travel distances, number of stops, and destinations.

Survey results indicated dairy replacement heifers were transported at older ages than beef-on-dairy calves, with dairy bull calves falling intermediate between the other two groups. More replacement heifers were vaccinated at the dairy than were calves entering the beef chain.

Respondents receiving calves reported substantial variability in preweaning morbidity and mortality rates. Calf raisers indicated they do not require source dairies to follow a preconditioning protocol when sending calves, and no source dairy had consistent fit-for-transport criteria. All respondents indicated the need for greater communication throughout the production chain and the need for best practice recommendations.

While both source dairies and calf raisers indicated a willingness to standardize practices to improve morbidity and mortality rates, the challenge lies in which party provides an incentive, financial or other otherwise. In addition, there is very little agreement on which practices should be implemented and followed by either party. Further research is needed to determine best practices for preconditioning protocols to improve calf health after transport and further into life.

These findings reinforce the importance of early-life management and their long-term impact on performance. At Agrarian Solutions, our calf philosophy is simple, “Whatever happens day one, week one, month one affects the calf the rest of its life.”

Building on that philosophy and in agreement with our Defend and Protect™ philosophy, Agrarian Solutions has developed the CONVERT™ family of calf products to bolster calf health and performance from birth past weaning and then utilizing other Agrarian products to continue from freshening to entering lactation. The CONVERT calf program focuses on strengthening gut integrity through the cell wall-deficient bacteria and probiotic expertise and IgY technology targeting specific digestive pathogens.

Reference: ¹Machuca et al. 2026. Preweaning calf transportation practices in the United States: A cross-sectional survey of dairies, haulers, and calf raisers. J. Dairy Sci. 109:4307-4322.

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Wild yeasts are commonly found in feeds over 30% moisture, especially those which have not experienced a complete and stable fermentation achieving a low pH. Each year as spring arrives, there seems to be a “bloom” of wild yeasts growing on unstable feeds or even on well-fermented feedstuffs exposed to oxygen for extended time periods. The wild yeasts consume the sugar in feeds to create heat and CO2. In doing so, they steal energy from the diet, and in some situations create heat for the browning reaction of combining glucose to amino acids to reduce protein availability.

A wild yeast-contaminated TMR lowers feed intake and impairs ruminal fermentation and bacterial amino acid production. It also increases starch flow to the hindgut, leading to energy loss, pathogen growth, and erratic manure. When this happens, cow activity systems often indicate reduced eating and rumination minutes.

Because some of these symptoms overlap with mycotoxin signs, it’s important to differentiate the cause. A quick evaluation of a handful of the TMR or individual feed ingredients can implicate wild yeasts. If wild yeasts are present, corn silage, high-moisture corn or TMR contaminated will heat-up above the ambient temperature and have an alcohol or yeasty smell after 3-4 hours of oxygen exposure.

Certainly, feeds suspected of being yeast-laden can be submitted to a laboratory; however, if the sample bag is not vacuum sealed, even a few yeasts will rapidly increase in number during transit to the lab. Our recommendation for a quick onsite, inexpensive confirmation of wild yeasts is the previously mentioned feel and smell evaluation.

There are a few options to mitigate the effects of wild yeasts. Excellent corn silage face management is the first line of defense. Keeping a flat, clean face on silage piles will reduce oxygen exposure and slow wild yeast growth in the pile. Feeding out about 6-12 inches from the silage face per day will slow oxygen exposure into the silage bunker or pile. Do not remove silage from piles more than a few hours before feeding to reduce heating. In addition, the organic acids benzoic, sorbic and acetic can be added to TMRs to reduce yeast growth and heating.

Beyond feed management, the cow will benefit from a live yeast supplement. Live yeast products support the rumen microbiome and may out-compete the wild yeasts in the rumen. Choose a product you are familiar with and trust.

DTX Concentrate has you covered from mycotoxin risk, but at this time of year, that’s only part of the story. If cows aren’t performing like they should, don’t stop at toxin control – evaluate feed stability. Defending and protecting cows from mycotoxin risk is the first important step to supporting cow health and protecting profitability.

Authors: Caroline Knoblock, MSc, – Director of Nutrition, Agrarian Solutions and Larry Roth, Ph.D., PAS – Vice President of Nutrition

The post Wild Yeasts: Stealing Nutrients and Heating Up Feed appeared first on Agrarian Solutions.

The most common mycotoxin encountered in the US is DON, which can be nicknamed “the rumen disruptor mycotoxin”. The DON, in essence, paralyses ruminal protozoa with an end result of reduced ruminal fermentation. The net result is to lessen total digesta outflow from the rumen and to shift starch and fiber fermentation to the hind gut accounting for the typical erratic manure consistency noted with dietary DON contamination. The tight junctions between intestinal cells are compromised by DON resulting in leaky gut and the ability of mycotoxins and pathogens to enter the body causing systemic inflammation. The liver must detoxify mycotoxins and clear inflammation-associated compounds, as well as process nutrients. Ultimately, “the rumen disruptor mycotoxin” reduces the pool of nutrients absorbed by the cow and reallocates nutrients via inflammation away from milk production and reproduction.

Zearalenone is widely known as the estrogenic mycotoxin, making it a hormone imposter and liver disruptor. Disruptions in hormonal cues can lead to variable heat expression, increased ovarian cysts and pregnant dry cows showing heats. Zearalenone can cause the uterine lining to thicken and conduct other changes in the uterine environment that lead to early embryonic death. The liver views zearalenone as a hormone rather than a toxin, allowing zearalenone to spend more time in the liver than toxins normally would. Zearalenone causes liver damage as the liver attempts to degrade the toxin as if it were a hormone. The resulting stress on the liver leads to tissue damage, inflammation, and a reduction in the ability of the liver to do its main job of glucose production, which in the secondary outcome of reduced glucose availability for the developing embryo, as well as glucose being reallocated to the immune system.

An understated, but vitally important, impact of fumonisin is to shut down immune cell communication making this toxin the communications saboteur. When immune cells are unable to “talk” to each other they cannot recruit new cells to inflammatory sites to protect tissues. The liver loses its antioxidant capabilities leading to decreased immune system function and increase oxidative stress in liver tissues and across the body. Intestinal cells that cannot transmit immune signals eventually die, causing a slow rise in the incidence of leaky gut. Depending on the environment, fumonisin can even contribute to pneumonia incidence by harming immune signaling in the lungs. Fumonison can cause intake swings followed by erratic changes in daily milk production. The liver and immune stress shifts nutrients away from productive purposes and towards the immune system and tissue repair.

The most toxic mycotoxin experienced in the US is T2, better described as the assassin mycotoxin. T2 specializes in shutting down protein synthesis in cells which quickly leads to cell death. This is especially effective in high turnover tissues such as those in the digestive tract, bone marrow, and liver. T2 is usually seen with other mycotoxins and amplifies their negative effects. Digestive tract cells are especially vulnerable; the ability of T2 to kill these cells increases the animal’s susceptibility to other feed issues such as clostridia or Aspergillus fumigatus. There is indirect evidence that T2 increases the lethality of clostridia and HBS cases.

The cow is a complex biological arrangement, and mycotoxins directly target the digestive, immune, and hormonal systems and wreak havoc. Nutrient allocation is shifted towards the immune system to repair damage and away from profitable purposes. By utilizing a biological approach that has broad protection against many mycotoxins without the limitations of binders we can work with the cow’s defensive systems. DTX Concentrate helps the cow defend and protect herself against mycotoxins, letting the cow be a cow and use nutrients for productive, profitable purposes.

Authors: Caroline Knoblock, MSc, – Director of Nutrition, Agrarian Solutions and Larry Roth, Ph.D., PAS – Vice President of Nutrition

The post Four Mycotoxins, Four Different Modes of Damage in Dairy Cows appeared first on Agrarian Solutions.

Approximately 80% of HBS cases coincide with the incidence of the Aspergillus fumigatus mold in the digestive tract of necropsied cattle, and Clostridium perfringens Type A contamination is often cited as a potential factor ¹ Reviewing the typical HBS symptoms (a sudden onset of bloody diarrhea hitting the highest producing cows leading to rapid decline and death, and then post-mortem finding of bloody intestines with clotting) may implicate another potential HBS factor.

While a range of mycotoxins are toxic to intestinal cells, T-2 and its metabolite HT2, are particularly destructive to the digestive tract lining. Ruminal microorganisms cannot detoxify T-2 in the diet; whatever amount of T-2 is ingested passes through to the intestines where it enacts much of its damage.

Mycotoxins that harm the digestive tract (DON and especially T-2/HT2) create a break in the castle wall of the digestive tract that allow other harmful pathogens through. The pathogen Clostridia perfringens Type A is considered a factor in HBS; if T-2 can break down the defenses it is creating a pathway for Clostridia or Aspergillus fumigatus to invade and cause harm to the digestive tract. The combination of T-2, Clostridia and Aspergillus fumigatus constitutes a lethal trio for destroying the digestive tract.

There are no direct research studies implicating mycotoxins as a factor in HBS, but we can theorize that some cases may be due to mycotoxins destroying intestinal cells and allowing other harmful pathogens access to the digestive tract cells to cause damage. When normal measures against HBS do not work it is important to explore other avenues.

Due to the size and structure of T-2, the toxin is poorly bound by clays or yeast cell wall products and, consequently, can destroy the digestive tract lining despite including these products in animal diets². There are no feed enzyme-type products offering research-proven effectiveness against T-2. Field experience indicates that DTX is one of the only feed products providing protection against the T-2 mycotoxin.

Certainly, mycotoxins and T-2 cannot be implicated in all cases of HBS, but there is indirect evidence that a portion may be attributed to intestinal damage caused by T-2. Routine TMR sampling for mycotoxins can indicate when to include DTX in the TMR to protect the digestive tract against T-2 destruction. Contact your Agrarian Representative for advice on implementing the DTX technology for defending and protecting the intestinal tract from mycotoxins and to enable healthier, more productive cattle.

Authors: Caroline Knoblock, MSc, – Director of Nutrition, Agrarian Solutions and Larry Roth, Ph.D., PAS – Vice President of Nutrition

References: ¹Sockett et al., 2004. Proc. Am. Assoc. Vet. Lab. Diagnos. 36. • ²Kihal et al., 2022. J. Anim. Sci. 100:1-14.

The post Hemorrhagic Bowel Syndrome and T-2: Exploring Intestinal Damage as a Contributing Factor appeared first on Agrarian Solutions.

The immune response uses a large amount of nutrients – energy, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. When cows reduce intake because they are ill, they inadvertently decrease the nutrients available to support the immune system. The drive to make milk is very strong in early lactation, and milk production will decrease but not cease. If the immune system is not adequately supported with the nutrients needed, then the ability to prevent or resolve an illness is reduced. How can we support the immune system and get cows eating again?

Agrarian’s focus has always been on solving problems where they start rather than treating the consequences. For cows that show up on health alert systems due to reduced feed intake, Agrarian products can set the cow on the right track. The BioFresh® Microbial Bolus encourages feed intake while providing nutrients needed to support the immune system and digestive tract. Reduced feed intake often results in an elevated intestinal pH favoring pathogen growth and, consequently, damage with intestinal lining. The BioFresh Microbial Bolus features lactic acid-producing bacteria to maintain the correct pH, as well as research-proven IgY to further hinder pathogen growth. The BioFresh Microbial Bolus is formulated with nutrients to support immune function to further defend and protect the cow.

Recent data have correlated decreased rumination time during the closeup period with increased risk of developing metritis or other uterine disorders after calving. It is often impractical to treat cows that are in the closeup pen and disturbing the entire pen of cows to treat a few may be counterproductive. If it is not possible to treat these cows before calving, there are opportunities to help these cows at calving. Agrarian Solutions’ transition cow bolus, Cow Start™ Complete, has demonstrated in published research trials to be beneficial to all newly freshened cows, and especially those cows needing an extra boost at calving. Cow Start Complete contains 72 easily absorbable micronutrients plus calcium and magnesium to support the immune and metabolic systems. This is especially important at calving when eating and ruminating are depressed in all cows.

If the farms for which you consult utilize activity-based systems for health alerts, you can look to Agrarian’s product solutions to help cows overcome illnesses and maintain feed intake. The Agrarian Defend and Protect™ Program guidelines as well as CowManager® – specific material are available as resources for your clients and you.

Authors: Caroline Knoblock, MSc, – Director of Nutrition, Agrarian Solutions and Larry Roth, Ph.D., PAS – Vice President of Nutrition

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