Multiple companies across the country process corn for various purposes. The processing of corn leads to a byproduct known as Wet Feed. Wet Feed is used as a nutritional food source for farm animals. Wet Feed is a breeding ground for maggots and is typically covered with flies quickly after it’s shelf life ends. I can’t stress enough that Wet Feed is used as a food source to feed the nation’s farm animals.
Wet Feed is not the only source of food for our farm animals. It is one of the cheapest options on the market, has a short shelf life, and is constantly being produced as a byproduct of processing corn. All companies that process corn and sell Wet Feed to farmers should be required to submit paperwork that details the chemical composition of the Wet Feed once every quarter. It would also require corn processing companies to build appropriate, safe, and effective Wet Feed bunkers to fit a new standard. The bunkers should not be accessible to the elements due to the Wet Feed being easily susceptible to maggot infestation and other chemicals. Each bunker needs to be required to pass a health & safety inspection once every quarter to ensure it’s proper upkeep. Again, Wet Feed is used to feed farm animals as an affordable alternative to the more expensive feed products. This policy would require all corn processing facilities in the country to build or rebuild Wet Feed bunkers that keep the food that our animals eat, clean and free of disease. The farmers should also be considered in the policy by being required to have proper Wet Feed storage if their animals are used as a food source for the general public.
I worked with farmers as a front-end loader at a corn processing facility in the Midwest, and know these things from first hand experience. I was also involved in a workplace accident while inside of a Wet Feed bunker that had design issues. The accident led me to undergo brain surgery. Hopefully this policy gets traction; not only to protect the workers inside of Wet Feed bunkers, but to ensure that the food we eat is also eating food that is clean and free from chemical & environmental corruption.
Thank you for reading.
