Bin run corn for grazing

[Bigfoot]

Yep, BF, that was him. Haven't heard from him in years... that MIG listserve, and the one that followed it, have died off.

Looking at the almost solid stand of 'volunteer' corn that comes up in some fields here after they combine it, I wonder what % of what they grew gets left on the ground. Of course, it's dead as a hammer after the first freeze, but some years, it gets to grow nearly 2 months before it gets nuked by Ma Nature. Don't know what % of high-moisture, dried corn would germinate, but the stuff left behind sure comes up readily!
I read all these articles about folks out in the Midwest overwintering cows on cornstalks, and think about how much 'forage' goes to waste on the thousands of acres of corn grown right here in this county, with no fences around 'em, and no cows picking through it.

I've refused to feed the machine for fertilizer on my pasture, for 20 years. I do fertilize my hay ground. I have subsequently lost my pasture to broomsedge. 2 or 3 years ago, it was spotty and I didn't worry about it. I've lost half the place to it now. Had great luck last year (if it stays gone for a while). I just wanted something cheap to plant, that I could justify throwing some fertilizer at. Crabgrass seems to come on strong everywhere I spray, and disturb the soil, and fertilize. I have decent luck spreading bin run wheat on crabgrass in the fall, and just letting it rain on it till it germinates. I was hoping for $10 worth of corn, and $10 worth of wheat, and the volunteer crabgrass, I could make some good forage. My son is just 15, but I dropped him off at the Roeder sale today to bid on drills. I'm moving forward with a plan anyway.