Chopping corn

[Bigfoot]

BF,
Be sure to test nitrate levels...we've been seeing some in the toxic range.
It'll diminish significantly during the ensiling process, but if you start out high enough, it can still kill 'em when it's finished.

Thanks. It's be my luck to kill the whole herd trying to save a dollar.

 

[Bigfoot]

Search silage harvesting on YouTube.

Interesting to watch. I didn't know we had someone locally that custom chopped. I also thought the facilities to Handel it would be cost prohibitive. Now that I know it can be economically stored, I'm thinking more about it all the time

I am assuming there are varieties more suited to making silage, than others. I'll have to do some more research on this.

 

[TexasBred]

There is a contract outfit out of Yadkinville NC that chop 700 acres for Maymead in Mountain City every year. The bring in a self propelled Krone chopper, articulated eight wheel john deere with a silage blade, and about 6 tandem dump trucks. It takes them 150 seconds to chop a truck load. It is an amazing operation to watch.

Those are the folks you literally have to tell to slow down so you can get the proper back on the stuff. Otherwise they'll bury you in it.

 

[jedstivers]

There are silage varieties.
I'm going to post a thread over on agtalk about grain sorgum also. I'm thinking of using it too. It's cheaper to grow and I can cut it twice or I can harvest it for grain then hit it with a 100lbs urea and turn the water on and cut it for silage in November.
Years ago my granddaddy planted 2 rows of corn and two rows of grain sorgum across the field. It was cut with a one row cutter and put in a pit with a concrete floor with dirt walls. The pit drained into the pasture so while the silage was fermenting the cattle drank the runoff and got drunk as could be.

 

[Bigfoot]

There are silage varieties.
I'm going to post a thread over on agtalk about grain sorgum also. I'm thinking of using it too. It's cheaper to grow and I can cut it twice or I can harvest it for grain then hit it with a 100lbs urea and turn the water on and cut it for silage in November.
Years ago my granddaddy planted 2 rows of corn and two rows of grain sorgum across the field. It was cut with a one row cutter and put in a pit with a concrete floor with dirt walls. The pit drained into the pasture so while the silage was fermenting the cattle drank the runoff and got drunk as could be.

I'm sure I'm reading you right. You talking about what I call milo, or the big tall sorghum?

 

[jedstivers]

I'm talking about milo. Parts of the country don't call it that though but almost all call it grain sorghum.

 

[Bigfoot]

I'm talking about milo. Parts of the country don't call it that though but almost all call it grain sorghum.

Trusting your judgement here, wouldn't a taller forage sorghum be a better choice?

 

[jedstivers]

I'm talking about milo. Parts of the country don't call it that though but almost all call it grain sorghum.

Trusting your judgement here, wouldn't a taller forage sorghum be a better choice?

It would but this is what were growing and I can always cut it for grain too.

 

[Jake]

I'm talking about milo. Parts of the country don't call it that though but almost all call it grain sorghum.

Trusting your judgement here, wouldn't a taller forage sorghum be a better choice?

It would but this is what were growing and I can always cut it for grain too.

Jed they do have some milo varieties that will get a little taller but won't yield quite as well. Folks south of us plant them so they can chop it if need be. Look into a brucitic (sp?) dwarf BMR sorghum, tonnage per acre is huge on them as they put out a ton of leaf area as well as having large stalks.

 

[jedstivers]

I did some research yesterday on those two and they look good. They were mentioned in my post on agtalk.
http://talk.newagtalk.com/forums/thread ... 5#M4002122

 

[Bigfoot]

http://m.hayandforage.com/other-forages ... mr-sorghum

Looks like good stuff.

 

[Son of Butch]

We like ours around 70-72%... As long as packing tractor is always moving we get it packed real good.
When you make your pile spread inches of silage and get a tire track on entire pile before you spread more out.

That's good advice.
Also make sure you keep outside edges packed tight as you go, to prevent tractor roll overs, as it gets higher be careful
about driving too close to the side edges. Safety is more important than speed. Make sure the entire load is packed before
adding the next load. You can't over pack it, so keep tractor moving and packing between loads.

 

[Bigfoot]

He's finishing up chopping now. They cut about 10 acres. He's getting $150 an acre. I don't see how he could provide this much equipment, and man power for $1,500. I asked him about chopping sorghum. He said it was great for silage, but would need cut one day, and chopped at a later time. He traveled in here from out of town, so I'm sure that'll prove too inconvenient. He and I exchanged numbers, I'm 99-100% certain I'm going to put some up next year.

 

[Bigfoot]

135 tons. That's off of 6.5 acres.

 

[TexasBred]

Looks good. Feed for winter. !!! And no weevils. ;-)

 

[Lawson Farms]

I think that pile needs to be packed a little more. Looks like those ridges between tire tracks could be flattened out some more by overlapping the tracks.

 

[Bigfoot]

I think that pile needs to be packed a little more. Looks like those ridges between tire tracks could be flattened out some more by overlapping the tracks.

That was the best we could get it. I hope it is enough.

 

[pricefarm]

Bigfoot do u plan on covering it up? I have thought about getting some chopped but never have done it. I put out 5 acres every year but I jut pick mine but this year corn is cheap and hay is high so chopping it would be the best bet. Let me know how it works out for u might try it next year.

 

[Bigfoot]

Bigfoot do u plan on covering it up? I have thought about getting some chopped but never have done it. I put out 5 acres every year but I jut pick mine but this year corn is cheap and hay is high so chopping it would be the best bet. Let me know how it works out for u might try it next year.

Just gonna let it sit like that. A couple of locals have done it that way a couple of years now. They seemed to have only lost a few inches at the top, and some on the ground of course. I'm not sure on a dry matter basis, how economical it is. I do know there are several tons of feed there for not many $$$$.

 

[Kscattle]

I've seen where guys line up hay bales on the sides and for a wall in the back to help keep it all together. You can spread rock salt on top to help it crust too. Probably 2-300 lbs for a pile that size Bigfoot.