Monday Mycotoxin & Crop Report for July 27, 2026

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Monday Mycotoxin & Crop Report!

This report serves as a bi-weekly update for crop conditions, weather outlook, and mycotoxin levels. Information is sourced from the USDA, NIDIS, and US Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative.

As the season progresses, we will continue to monitor weather conditions for likelihood of toxin contamination, and report on verified levels of toxin from the field.

1. Winter wheat harvest nears completion – continued challenges for yield and quality due to drought.
2. Corn continues into silking stage – as drought and hot weather in key states continues, risk of Aflatoxin and Fumonisin persists.
3. Spring wheat and barley continue into headed stage – quality effected by drought, with pockets of risk for DON and Zearalenone.

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Weekly Weather Summary

Warm, dry weather persists across the northern & central Plains, upper Midwest and the Rockies. In contrast, elevated precipitation was observed in areas of the Southwest, southern Plains, and mid-Atlantic.

Mycotoxin risk is currently greatest for corn in states where silking is occurring, and for spring wheat and barley in states where the crop has reached the headed stage.

Crop Progress & Condition Overview

• Winter wheat - Winter wheat harvest is 74% complete, 3 points ahead of the five year average. Most states have completed or are near completion of harvest, with Idaho, Oregon, and Washington still in the beginning stages.  Overall yield has been drastically reduced by significant drought across typically high-producing states – 63% of winter wheat production happened within an area experiencing drought.
  
  Despite the prominence of drought this season, some producing areas experienced increased precipitation during the flowering stage and should be monitored for DON or Zearalenone: Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan, Ohio, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota.

• Corn –59% of the corn has reached the silking stage, 5 points ahead of the five year average. 67% of the crop is rated good to excellent condition – 7 points below last year. The following states have pockets of corn that are behind the national average of very poor and poor condition: Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, North Carolina, Texas, Kentucky, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
  
  Comparing drought severity data from the US Drought Monitor and corn progress from USDA Crop Progress report, areas of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota, Georgia, and Florida are at highest risk for Aflatoxin and/or Fumonisin contamination due to severe / extreme drought in the area and progress thru the silking stage. Additionally, comparing rainfall data, predictive weather information, and corn progress, potential for DON & Zearalenone are medium to high risk in areas of Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio.
  
  
• Spring Wheat – 89% of the spring wheat has reached the headed stage, 1 point ahead of the five year average. 53% of the crop is rated in good to excellent conditions, with the following states having areas of wheat that are behind the national average of poor and very poor condition: Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, and Washington. Poor quality is primarily driven by areas of drought.
  
  As the crop progresses thru the heading stage into the flowering stage, current risk for DON is at a medium – high level in areas of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana due to increased precipitation during the flowering stage. Despite drought in some areas of these states, for other areas risk is expected to remain with elevated precipitation and humidity forecasted.
  
  
• Barley – 89% of barley has reached the headed stage, 6 points ahead of the five year average. 44% of the crop is rated in good to excellent condition, with the following states having areas of barley that are behind the national average of poor and very poor condition: Idaho, Washington, and Montana.
  
  Current risk for DON is medium – high in areas of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota due to increased precipitation during the heading and flowering stages.

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