Growing corn for feed

[pricefarm]

I'm sure he's talking about 400 bushels including ear. Not 400 bushels of kernel.

I figured that also but a bushel is figured on volume, and a bushel of ear corn is heavier than a bushel of whole corn.

Yes 400 bushel of ear corn is the same as 400 bushel of shell corn. A bushel of ear corn weighs more because of the cob. I think a bushel of ear corn weighs around 70lbs ? And a shell corn is 56? Something close to that ...

 

[Son of Butch]

On average 160 bushels of ear corn yields about 130 bushels of shell corn. (124 - 133 bushels depending on moisture)

corn 9.9% CP
corn 89 TDN

ear corn 8.9% CP
ear corn 82 TDN

 

[rustybottoms88]

I grow my own corn and pick it and grind to feed my calves and cows some. This is what it cost me this year to raise 2.5 acres. Corn seed was 238$ fertilizer was 345$ spray was 101$. So that's 684$ not including time and diesel fuel. Of that 2.5 acres I picked right at 400 bushels. So that's around 1.71$ per bushel. I have all the equipment to do it and it doesn't take that much time and I enjoy doing it.

Could you put down a lot of chicken litter prior to planting and not have to top dress it with nitrogen later?
Say 2 tons to the acre would give 120lbs actual nitrogen approximately and right around 50lbs phosphate and 40 potash.

Would that work?

Actual NPK of litter is so variable its hard to tell but the average analysis for broiler litter in AR is 60-60-40 per ton. I would take a sample into your local extension office and have them send it off for analysis. In AR it cost about $20 for the test. Money well spent IMO. Lost of good conversation here!

 

[rnh2]

As far as direct grazing why not use milo since it's more drought resistant? Or a mixture with beans? As far as war corn storage I read where a guy took a wire cattle panel and tied ends together to make a circle. He said it worked great. He didn't say how many bushels it held. When he was ready to feed it he ran cobs and all through a small gas powered leaf shredder. He said he got good results. What y'all think?

 

[Logar]

We have a small cow\calf operation and I'm looking for alternatives to buying feed. We have a 2 acre patch that is not connected to our main property and has no running water. I thought rather then mowing it, why not plant corn and use it for feed? There is full sunlight on about an acre and I think I'm going to try it. There is a local mill here that will grind it for me once it is harvested. Any thoughts\suggestions on practices, variety, etc.? We grow a small garden every year and I know how to plant on a small scale but I have never tried it on a scale this large and wondered if there are diffrences.

In the end I suspect that corn will be the most expensive feed you will have on the place - unless you have all the equipment to work the ground, plant the crop, fertilize the crop and harvest it.

You might be smarter to:

a. Sell it off as a lot if it is not connected to the farm and use the cash to develop the main place (if you can)

b. Put it in to grass and use it for hay - you should be able to get 10 to 20 big rounds off of it if you manage the ground.

c. Or plant one big mother garden and sell off the produce if that is available as a potential market.

I have a couple of those lots and we simply farm them for hay.

Choice is yours, but corn can be expensive to grow.

Best of luck no matter what you do.

Merry Christmas.