200 Dead Cows Mystery Solved In Wisconsin: Toxic Moldy Potatoes To Blame

Although many of the mass animal deaths reported around the world in the past month remain unexplained, officials have closed the case on the mystery of 200 cows that dropped dead in Wisconsin on January 14. A toxin from moldy sweet potatoes, which were a part of the animals' feed, are to blame for the bovines' seemingly strange demise.

While officials initially believed a virus such as infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) or bovine virus diarrhea (BVD) could have caused the 200 deaths at a Portage County farm, further testing revealed pneumonia to be the likely culprit, though such widespread cases of pneumonia are rare. The Wausau Daily Herald reports that the cattle's feed was then sent for testing, and the lab results from Friday revealed that a mycotoxin commonly occurring in moldy sweet potatoes, ipomeanol, was found to have triggered the pneumonia that caused the 200 cows to die.

According to AolNews, officials attest that the spoiled potatoes were not in the human food supply chain, and therefore pose no threat to people.

Yahoo News reports that similar cases of decaying sweet potatoes triggering cow deaths have been documented in 2007, 2003 and 2001.

Comments

[Mara Para]

08:57 PM on 02/02/2011

This will be my final report from the battlefield.

Being on the extreme northern edge of the country's snowmongous blizzaster (about 6 inches), we were able to tunnel out of our home and make our way to Portage County. (Shopped at Best Buy in Plover and bought a Super Mario game for the Wii.)

I am glad to announce the Great War of Potato Aggression is over. Portage County cows have returned to their pastures and their barns. Hooray!

A spokespud for the Sweet Potato Army, outstanding in his field, explained they had no choice but to ask for a truce. "These cows nearly whipped us. We knew it was only a matter of time before they topped us with mini-marshmallows," he said. "To be casseroled is a fate worst than rotting."

America, it's over. Rest easy.

[Uproar]

09:03 PM on 02/01/2011

Why were the cows fed such toxic food? And do they not have an shelter in the snow?

[Mara Para]

05:10 PM on 02/01/2011

Due to Winter Weather Warnings, I have been unable to go shopping, I mean check out the situation to the north of my location in central Wisconsin. I can tell you that field corn and white tail deer appear to be unaffected by the war between cows and sweet potatoes in neighboring Portage County.

All turkey squadrons have been grounded. Aerial reconnaisance will resume after the blizzard has passed.

Today's report from my position: All is quiet on the fungus front.

[ThinkCreeps]

03:11 PM on 02/02/2011

Don't worry, the tinfoil-hat brigade is keeping the pigs on 24-hour airborne alert.

[getsit]

03:41 PM on 02/01/2011

And here I thought it was aliens from space.

[SayNo toCorporateAmerica]

09:18 PM on 01/31/2011

7,000 Dead Cattle, then it was 10,000 now it is 38,000 DEAD Cattle and they sticking with the BS freezing to death explanation. Cattle do not freeze to death in near 50 degree weather (lows in the mid 40s)! That isn't a cow it is pure BULL! Wisconsin cows died from pneumonia and Mycotoxin was detected. I believe that... but was it the sweet potato?

With all the MSM and GOV silence on the 38THOUSAND dead cattle sure makes ya think about the fact Mycotoxins are used in biological warfare. A US biological expert was murdered. Mass animal deaths blamed on fireworks, over eating and over drinking. Scientists in Italy said POISON or Hypoxia because all the birds had blue beaks.
So here we have another case of poisoning... animal instinct missed the mold but they can detect GMO corn, that is odd.

I have a theory on all the mass animal kills and I am sticking to it... it was poisoning!
/saynotocorporateamerica.blogspot.com/

[getsit]

03:44 PM on 02/01/2011

OOOOOO, paranoia. I like. You're probably right. If our government can allow fracking to get natural gas which poisons the water supply (don't hold a match to your water) why can't they allow "tests" on animals?

Or maybe they were accidently poisoned. Who really knows?

[LeFlaneur]

08:14 PM on 01/31/2011

Did aliens put toxic mold into potatoes?

[Mara Para]

05:41 PM on 01/31/2011

It takes about 45 minues for me to drive from my home to Plover in Portage County, Wisconsin. I often go to Plover and Steven's Point to shop. It's a straight shot north on HWY 51.

I like cows. They're usually not opinionated, argumentative or agressive like people. I like sweet potatoes - also usually not agressive or threatening. As long as the war between the sweet potatoes and the cows causes no collateral damage to shopping, I'll be neutral like Switzerland.

However, I am very concerned about the farmers and their jack-booted thugs - the crop-dusters. These landowners and their mercenary airforce have harrassed the spud and the free-range bovine for many, many years. They are, indeed, provocateurs in this dirty little war. I'm keeping my eyes on the them and their-low flying aircraft.

I will keep you posted from my position very near the batttle front. Pray for peace.

[Binx101]

04:38 PM on 01/31/2011

So this was news story ? When the cows were found dead ... this was getting tremendous front page cover. Now that we learn it wasn't ray guns or flesh eating aliens that killed the cows it is relegated to the baggage car ?

Well, speaking of news, as a reader of news - it would have been nice if a little more information about the toxin, the taters and how this happened were mentioned, no???

Alas, that would have some journalistic value, and that's really not what this whole HP thing is all about any longer is it? There's hardly and reporting and there is significant shortage of editors - although, I understand there are 2 complete floors of people selling, clicks, impressions, ads, search engine optimization and through links.

The only continued draw to this for me is reading some of the original comments by some of the more interesting members.

Binx101
The Almost Daily Binx
http://binx101.wordpress.com

Binx101

[KDMac]

03:22 PM on 01/31/2011

Here I thought it was the salmon mousse.

[Kivahut]

02:11 PM on 01/31/2011

Poor cows! I want to feed this farmer some moldy sweet potatoes and see how he feels.

[KDMac]

03:24 PM on 01/31/2011

You'd think the mold would have antibiotic properties.

[GeeBee]

05:54 PM on 01/31/2011

Lots of molds are toxic. Inhaling spores from molds growing on grass being made into hay can lead to a sickness called Farmer's Lung. My late uncle suffered from it, and also died of pancreatic cancer at an early age.

[cdub1991]

01:47 PM on 01/31/2011

All of these conspiracy theories on this board are fascinating. Couldn't it just be that they got a bad batch of potatoes? It happens. And, while I'll admit that I don't know jack about cows, I wouldn't assume that they would be fed the same quality of potatoes as supplied for human consumption. Some animal digestive and immune systems are perfectly capable of handling moldy food. Rats and goats can eat almost anything. Besides, it was the mycotoxin, not the mode itself that was the problem. Just sayin...

[jumbotron16]

02:08 PM on 01/31/2011

There is an awful lot of ill-informed paranoia going on around here.

[stagebandman]

12:54 PM on 01/31/2011

Why do we think our enemies would try using planes again? Our flora and fauna are a much more subversive target. And with all the government cuts in regulatory agencies, the Foxicans have opened the door for these and more occurrences.

Now THAT is terrorism.

[Ipanemagirl]

12:45 PM on 01/31/2011

Why is it ok to feed moldy potatoes or food to animals? It shoud at least be fresh and safe. Does that corporate farmer get fined for his misdeeds? Its all about money isnt it. Let throw all this garbage for animals to feed on so we dont have to buy them expensive feed, right?

[A Nal Douche]

01:03 PM on 01/31/2011

Yes they should eat better than most poor starving 3rd worlders..

[pcplz]

02:55 PM on 01/31/2011

I believe that the farmer was fined pretty heavy.....200 cows.

[anti politricks]

10:58 AM on 01/31/2011

moldy sweet potato that caused pneumonia in cows that killed them.
OF COURSE! that explains it!!!!!
and just imagine, if they hadn't died from that, it would have been someone's hamburger helped dinner

[primemus]

09:12 AM on 01/31/2011

Toxic potatoes sounds like a load of crap! www.myhumanism.org.uk

[anti politricks]

10:57 AM on 01/31/2011

thanks for the good link!