Cricket feasts on corn.

Safe Feed, Less Waste: Crickets Clean Up Contaminated Corn

Corn is a cornerstone of livestock feed across the United States because it is affordable and rich in essential fiber, vitamins, and minerals. But fungal mycotoxins above FDA regulatory limits can pose serious health risks to animals, making contaminated corn unsafe for feed. To protect livestock, mycotoxin contaminated grain is often diverted from the feed supply chain, an important safety step, but one that often results in the loss of valuable product for farmers and grain processors.

ARS researchers in Peoria, IL, and Stoneville, MS, explored a novel solution: using crickets to safely consume mycotoxin‑contaminated corn and converting those crickets into a high‑protein feed ingredient. Learn more...

The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.