MYCOTOXINS ARE AMONG THE MOST SIGNIFICANT HAZARDS IN CORN. FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE OF MYCOTOXIN OCCURRENCE AND MANAGEMENT EXISTS, BUT TRANSLATING THIS INFORMATION INTO PRACTICAL, USABLE STRATEGIES FOR MONITORING AND MANAGING MYCOTOXINS IN THE APPROPRIATE CONTEXT (THE MIDWEST COMMODITY CORN SUPPLY CHAIN, THROUGH WHICH MOST U.S.-PRODUCED CORN PASSES) HAS YET TO OCCUR. THE PROPOSED WORK WILL ADDRESS THIS CRITICAL PROBLEM, DEVELOPING AND DISSEMINATING RELEVANT STRATEGIES THAT ARE SUITABLE FOR SUPPLY CHAIN STAKEHOLDERS THAT MUST FUNCTION UNDER THE LIMITING CONDITIONS PRESENT IN THIS SUPPLY CHAIN, INCLUDING HIGH-VOLUME, RAPID-PACED RECEIVING, AND LOW PROFIT MARGINS. THE INVESTIGATORS WILL WORK WITH A ROBUST, ESTABLISHED STAKEHOLDER GROUP THROUGOUT THE PROJECT DURATION AND PAIR THE BEST AVAILABLE SCIENCE WITH A NOVEL MULTI-YEAR, MULTI-LOCATION DATASET QUANTIFYING MYCOTOXINS IN COMMODITY CORN. GOALS INCLUDE THE IDENTIFICATION OF 1) CRITICAL FACTORS AND INTERACTIONS DETERMINING MYCOTOXIN OCCURRENCE AND SEVERITY, AND 2) EARLY AND INDIRECT INDICATORS OF MYCOTOXIN RISK IN THE MIDWEST CORN; AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTEGRATED STRATEGY FOR MYCOTOXIN MONITORING AND MANAGEMENT IN COMMODITY CORN THAT LEVERAGES THE CAPABILITY OF ALL SUPPLY CHAIN ACTORS TO INTERVENE IN A PROACTIVE WAY TO PREVENT MYCOTOXIN DEVELOPMENT AND TO PRESERVE THE OVERALL VALUE OF U.S. CORN.IT WILL BE APPROACHED VIA THREE MAIN OBJECTIVES:ESTABLISH AND ENGAGE AN ADVISORY PANEL TO GUIDE THE DEVELOPMENT OF RECOMMENDATIONS AND DOCUMENTS FOR MYCOTOXIN MONITORING AND MANAGEMENT IN COMMODITY CORN THAT ARE BOTH USEFUL AND PRACTICAL TO IMPLEMENT IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN.DETERMINE THE FREQUENCY AND SEVERITY OF HISTORIC MYCOTOXIN OCCURRENCE IN THE PRINCIPAL CORN-GROWING REGION OF THE UNITED STATES, AS INFLUENCED BY ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMACTIC CONDITIONS, AND THE TIMING OF THESE CONDITIONS AS THEY RELATE TO SPECIFIC DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES FOR CORN GROWING IN THE FIELD.IDENTIFY EARLY-SEASON AND AT-HARVEST (INDIRECT) PREDICTORS OF MYCOTOXIN RISK IN COMMODITY CORN TO ENABLE MINIMAL COST MITIGATION AND MANAGEMENT ALONG THE COMMODITY CORN SUPPLY CHAIN, FROM FARM TO END-USER.OUTPUTS RESULTING FROM THIS INTEGRATED RESEARCH AND EXTENSION PROJECT ARE EXPECTED TO IMPROVE THE ABILITY TO PREVENT MYCOTOXIN CONTAMINATION IN COMMODITY CORN AND ENABLE IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC, LOW-COST TESTING, HANDLING, AND MARKETING THROUGHOUT THE SUPPLY CHAIN WHICH WILL CONTROL THESE HAZARDS, AND PRESERVE THE VALUE OF U.S. CORN FOR FOOD, FEED, AND EXPORT MARKETS.