64: How DON Mycotoxin Slows the Rumen and Erodes Dairy Performance

64: How DON Mycotoxin Slows the Rumen and Erodes Dairy Performance

From Ruminate This | Agrarian Solutions by Scott Zehr

January 12, 2026 · 34 min · Season 2 · Episode 64

About this episode

Scott Zehr discusses the impact of DON mycotoxin on dairy performance with Dr. Larry Roth.

In this episode of Ruminate This, Scott Zehr is joined by Dr. Larry Roth (VP of Nutrition, Agrarian Solutions) for a discussion about DON (deoxynivalenol/vomitoxin)—one of the most common and most misunderstood mycotoxins in dairy rations. Rather than causing an obvious crash every time, DON often works like a “pause button” on rumen microbes. It doesn’t necessarily kill bacteria, it slows microbial function and disrupts fermentation, reducing the cow’s ability to convert the TMR into energy ...

People in this episode

Host: Scott Zehr

Guest: Dr. Larry Roth

Topics covered

  • mycotoxins
  • dairy performance
  • rumen function
  • nutrition
  • fermentation

Keywords

  • DON
  • mycotoxin
  • dairy rations
  • rumen microbes
  • fermentation
  • nutrition

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Agrarian Solutions

Products: DON (deoxynivalenol/vomitoxin)

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