We have 17 acres in corn this year, it is a 96 day maturing, we plant narrow row, and we have a New Idea 2 row picker. We hire the planting done, but with everyone going to bigger and better (12 row+) planters we may have to pick up a 6 row, as our fields are small, and sometimes a pain to get into. The yeild and corn prices will determine this fall if I buy additional stockers or sell the corn. If we sell the corn, we sell it off the field and have them combine it.
My own experience - I like to grind our own corn for feed out. The cob is it's own buffer so you don't need to add anything... (knock on wood) I have never had a digestive problem (yet) When I put them out for free choice, I mix about 20% oats with it, minerals, salt, vitamins and molasses. I decrease the oats over a couple/three weeks and ramp up on the soy meal after that, to about 20%. I also allow them free choice hay, which I try to put out whatever is the "grassiest" of alfalfa field, rather than our best alfalfa. Right now I have 33 being fed out, weights range from 800# to 1000# and they are eating 3 (4x5) bales of hay a week and approx 3500# to 4000# of feed per week.
The problem I have is they all go in weighing close to the same but some finish sooner than others, I figure at the rate they are going this year I will have about 3 different finish times. Some will finish right about 90 days on this program, others will take to 120, maybe a bit longer.
Michele
BTW - We found an old Owatonna mixer mill at a guys house that he wasn't using any longer as he found a newer one at auction. He said it was being used when he stored it a few years before. He said we could have it for hauling it off. We had to put a set of belts on it, $200 and a tire (we had one laying around). Since then we had to put a set of gears in it $220, and the tub has a small hole it that we duct taped. We figure we'll use it til we find a (reasonable) replacement or it dies! ;-)
