Alltech at the World Pork Expo

The rains have come to Iowa. That's good news too, not only for the corn crop, but for attendance at World Pork Expo.

The big story at the show is the shock over the removal of 3-Nitro from the market. With one less tool in the toolbox, agriculture is continuing to search for alternative ways to maintain animal health in a cost effective manner.

3-Nitro is a drug that has long been used in poultry and livestock feeds to control parasitic diseases and to promote weight gain. The drug contains organic arsenic. Studies have shown that organic arsenic can be converted into inorganic arsenic, which is more toxic and carcinogenic. The FDA recently tested 100 chickens and found higher levels of arsenic in chickens given 3-Nitro than in birds that were not. The levels are very low and the FDA says there is no health risk.