Grazing Corn ?

[Stocker Steve]

Grazing corn has been around for a while. After all, it is just a big grass plant. There seem to be some grazing dairy fans, but not so much in beef. Much of the recent beef grazing corn info comes out of Canada.

Have you tried it, and what were your conclusions?

 

[RDFF]

I haven't yet, but the seasonal grazing dairy that I grazed young stock for last year has, and he likes it. I haven't seen how he uses it though. I could ask him for you.

 

[shaz]

seems like you could put corn in an existing cow pasture with very little input if it was just a one year deal. Nutrient level would be fine for one crop.
Your thoughts?

 

[Rydero]

Not yet. Stockpile/swath grazing can get us through Nov&Dec but Jan&Feb are another animal. Standing corn could be the answer. Always tempted, but I spent several years building the organic matter and fertility in the field I'd do it on. Hard to bring myself to actually pull the trigger on mining it.

I know some who've done it in this area. One outfit in a big way for a few years who then went back to chopped corn silage. They talk about doing it again so I expect the numbers work. I suspect the fencing wasn't much fun at -30 or -40 and there were issues keeping the cattle where they wanted them when they got wise. I also heard to expect to ruin some cow's feet from constantly cutting themselves on the lower part of their legs.

Supplement protein, hold them in a small area to make them eat stocks. Pretty simple stuff. Even a modest 10 ton corn crop is a lot of feed. Huge bonus that it stays standing. Downside is it's high input/high stakes, you need a planter, better if you can spray it yourself - not good for your soil.

 

[RDFF]

I've been strongly considering going one further for a couple of years... grow your "pasture" in spring, and then graze it hard right ahead of a late planting of corn in 60" rows, banding herbicide on the row at planting. Mow once between those 60" rows, and then let'er buck till harvest in the fall. Harvest "some" of the corn for grain, leave "some" standing for the cows to graze right along with the winter stockpile you grew between the rows.

 

[Stocker Steve]

I think strip grazing green corn in summer and fall is fairly easy, and dairy farmers see an immediate benefit from the energy in their bulk tank.

I think adding a number of other forages to a corn stand can be tricky. Corn does not like much competition, so timing and rate are key.

 

[BFE]

Not reinventing the wheel here, but I graze stalk fields and cows do pretty well on them. Amazing how much corn they can find left over out there. Have considered leaving some strips standing, but haven't done it yet.

Been feeding hay in stalk field to keep from tearing up pasture. I don't like to do tillage, but making a sacrifice area in a crop field instead of a pasture is easier to deal with, plus adding OM is always good. Fed hay in a field last year, had to disk the small area to level back down, and you could see exactly where when cutting beans this fall. Beans were taller and still holding onto some leaves, and indicator of a longer lived more healthy plant than the surrounding area.

 

[kenny thomas]

Not reinventing the wheel here, but I graze stalk fields and cows do pretty well on them. Amazing how much corn they can find left over out there. Have considered leaving some strips standing, but haven't done it yet.

Been feeding hay in stalk field to keep from tearing up pasture. I don't like to do tillage, but making a sacrifice area in a crop field instead of a pasture is easier to deal with, plus adding OM is always good. Fed hay in a field last year, had to disk the small area to level back down, and you could see exactly where when cutting beans this fall. Beans were taller and still holding onto some leaves, and indicator of a longer lived more healthy plant than the surrounding area.

Not the same thing but jedstivers from Arkansas that used to post on here would fly rye seed into his corn, beans, and cotton while it was still green and after he combined would turn calves on the stubble and rye. The calves looked great.

 

[Nick Wagner]

I grazed standing corn one time. The economics worked out good, it was cheaper than feeding hay. I moved temporary fence daily. Conventional corn in 30 inch rows. Two downsides, every deer in the Tricounty area found out and ate corn ahead of the cows and we had a late winter that year, it didn't freeze until February, so the field looked like it was plowed when the cows were done. It was after deer season till I realized how many I was feeding, they ate acres of corn, left the stalks standing and nibbled every kernel off the cobs. I called the county wildlife officer, she tried to convince me it was bird and coon damage. After I showed her the piles of deer turds and explained what bird and coon damage looked like, she took pictures and left. A couple days later she brought me 5 doe permits that couldn't be used until the next deer season. Let's just say I was sorely disappointed and haven't tried it again. This was about 15 years ago. I'm told today they will give out nuisance permits to take deer out of season, but I have not tested the theory.

 

[RDFF]

Not the same thing but jedstivers from Arkansas that used to post on here would fly rye seed into his corn, beans, and cotton while it was still green and after he combined would turn calves on the stubble and rye. The calves looked great.

Flying on or high boy applied rye/cover crop seed in late summer corn is getting more and more popular around here... Andy Linder in Faribault County has two Hagie high boys dedicated just to application of cover crop seed. Has great potential I think, biggest issue is not enough sunlight in the narrow rows limiting growth. Cereal rye doesn't do well in "shaded conditions". Annual ryegrass and clovers seem to do the best. Lots of interest with the grazers though in 60 inch rows because that'll give you like 5 times more cover crop growth vs. 30's.

Here's a link to a Youtube vid of Andy. I think he's located at Kiester, but he's travelled quite a ways to do application... tries to get his jobs booked ahead of time, and then get a route to avoid too much road time. (35) Cattle Grazing on Cover Crops in Faribault County, MN - YouTube

I broadcast 70# of cereal rye into all of my beans this year Sept. 1, when I just saw the first signs of leaves starting to turn. Worked great, fields were green as soon as the combine went through. But when you cut the beans, you also cut the rye, right close to the ground. Not enough year and sunlight left to get you to a grazeable yield after that. WAY better than waiting till after harvest to plant though, and with rye, that early start will pay off big time come spring.

Where I'm planning to convert to pasture next year, I put red clover and hairy vetch in that Sept. 1 broadcast too. Then I came back in right behind the combine with the NT drill with another 45# of rye (plus a little more red clover/hairy vetch where I'll pasture). Looked really green and beautiful as we went into winter and snow. I'll frost seed the rest of the pasture mix in spring, with oats as a carrier. I'll be set up great for one or two good grazing passes before June this spring.

Just found this video of Andy and his High Boy seeder too: (35) High Clearance Cover Crop Seeder with Andy Linder - YouTube If you're up in his area, he's a great guy and a wonderful resource.

 

[Dave]

I knew several dairies in Western Washington up by the Canadian border who planted rye into corn. They ran an air seeder at the last cultivation. The corn was silage corn. In the spring they got a good harvest of rye grass chopped for silage just before they planted the corn into the field again.

 

[RDFF]

Where are you at Nick?

 

[Nick Wagner]

Where are you at Nick?

Thirty miles south of Cedar Point. Attica

 

[RDFF]

I knew several dairies in Western Washington up by the Canadian border who planted rye into corn. They ran an air seeder at the last cultivation. The corn was silage corn. In the spring they got a good harvest of rye grass chopped for silage just before they planted the corn into the field again.

Yup, lots of dairy cover cropping guys around here using cereal rye in spring as a silage crop, followed by corn. Get good tonnage on it, and they seem to like it better than alfalfa haylage even. Planting about 120+ lbs. of rye immediately following harvest of the corn silage crop, I think most all of them are tilling after the corn, and drilling the rye on.

 

[RDFF]

Thirty miles south of Cedar Point. Attica

State?

 

[Nick Wagner]

State?

Ohio. I thought everyone knew where Cedar Point is. Halfway between Toledo and Cleveland, thirty miles south of Lake Erie puts you in my neighborhood.

 

[Nick Wagner]

Yup, lots of dairy cover cropping guys around here using cereal rye in spring as a silage crop, followed by corn. Get good tonnage on it, and they seem to like it better than alfalfa haylage even. Planting about 120+ lbs. of rye immediately following harvest of the corn silage crop, I think most all of them are tilling after the corn, and drilling the rye on.

One thing with rye is how fast it matures. Any delay in mowing and you have straw. It goes from boot stage to headed out in about six hours, or seems to anyway.

 

[BFE]

Not the same thing but jedstivers from Arkansas that used to post on here would fly rye seed into his corn, beans, and cotton while it was still green and after he combined would turn calves on the stubble and rye. The calves looked great.

I had an fall oat/turnip/radish mix flown on this year, poor results. Too dry, too late application. It was to be put on with urea via high boy spreader when the corn was less than waist high but the seed mix didn't come in in time. I wasn't very happy about the lack of communication from the fertilizer plant, but mamma says it beez that way sometimes.

Flying on or high boy applied rye/cover crop seed in late summer corn is getting more and more popular around here... Andy Linder in Faribault County has two Hagie high boys dedicated just to application of cover crop seed. Has great potential I think, biggest issue is not enough sunlight in the narrow rows limiting growth. Cereal rye doesn't do well in "shaded conditions". Annual ryegrass and clovers seem to do the best. Lots of interest with the grazers though in 60 inch rows because that'll give you like 5 times more cover crop growth vs. 30's.

Here's a link to a Youtube vid of Andy. I think he's located at Kiester, but he's travelled quite a ways to do application... tries to get his jobs booked ahead of time, and then get a route to avoid too much road time. (35) Cattle Grazing on Cover Crops in Faribault County, MN - YouTube

I broadcast 70# of cereal rye into all of my beans this year Sept. 1, when I just saw the first signs of leaves starting to turn. Worked great, fields were green as soon as the combine went through. But when you cut the beans, you also cut the rye, right close to the ground. Not enough year and sunlight left to get you to a grazeable yield after that. WAY better than waiting till after harvest to plant though, and with rye, that early start will pay off big time come spring.

Where I'm planning to convert to pasture next year, I put red clover and hairy vetch in that Sept. 1 broadcast too. Then I came back in right behind the combine with the NT drill with another 45# of rye (plus a little more red clover/hairy vetch where I'll pasture). Looked really green and beautiful as we went into winter and snow. I'll frost seed the rest of the pasture mix in spring, with oats as a carrier. I'll be set up great for one or two good grazing passes before June this spring.

Just found this video of Andy and his High Boy seeder too: (35) High Clearance Cover Crop Seeder with Andy Linder - YouTube If you're up in his area, he's a great guy and a wonderful resource.

Don't have the nerve to put a grass in with beans. If we have a late wet fall it would be nine kinds of heck getting those beans cut. Damp wheat stubble is a nightmare, green grass is a disaster. I'm going to go with shorter season beans and drill it in Sept. I can see where you don't have enough time for that in Minnesota though.

I've researched 60" corn, little to no yield loss with the right variety and lots of room for growth on covers. May try it someday, where I plan on wintering.

 

[Rydero]

I grazed standing corn one time. The economics worked out good, it was cheaper than feeding hay. I moved temporary fence daily. Conventional corn in 30 inch rows. Two downsides, every deer in the Tricounty area found out and ate corn ahead of the cows and we had a late winter that year, it didn't freeze until February, so the field looked like it was plowed when the cows were done. It was after deer season till I realized how many I was feeding, they ate acres of corn, left the stalks standing and nibbled every kernel off the cobs. I called the county wildlife officer, she tried to convince me it was bird and coon damage. After I showed her the piles of deer turds and explained what bird and coon damage looked like, she took pictures and left. A couple days later she brought me 5 doe permits that couldn't be used until the next deer season. Let's just say I was sorely disappointed and haven't tried it again. This was about 15 years ago. I'm told today they will give out nuisance permits to take deer out of season, but I have not tested the theory.

You said the economics worked good. I'm curious if that's with the wildlife damage or not. I'm in an area where the deer and elk are sure to take some sort of toll.

 

[Lucky_P]

Bin run corn for grazing

Anybody ever had any luck planting bin run corn, for grazing? I've got a few acres, I will burning down with glyphosate in the spring, and disturbing with a disc. What I really want to do on this field is encourage my native crabgrass. I had some pretty decent luck last year doing this. I...

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