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Baling Failed corn?

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tenbach79

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This was brought up a few months ago. Wanted to see if anyone did some and how it turned out. Have 340 acres of dry land corn that we are going to disaster out and thinking of either chopping it or put it up in round bales or sale it right in the field. Had the corn tested for nitrates came back around 300. What is silage corn standing in the field worth, and or chopping rates?

Another idea I had was swath the corn and then swath graze it. Would that be a crazy idea? Corn has some ears but one field of 150 acres there is only 50 acres that has a ear on it.
 
I know it's been discussed on here a number of times about nitrate poisoning but I guess there is always a reason for the warnings. There was a report of a number of cattle killed a hour south of us when droughted corn was cut and fed for silage.

So it appears that the risk is always there. Sounds like testing and proper dilution in the ration would be in order?
 
You would be better off just turning the cows out after the corn dies. Most of the nitrate problems are in the lower part of the stalk. If you leave it stand they can eat the leaves and the top, but won't eat the bottom. A lot of people are baling failed corn around here this year. I hope they let it dry good or we will have some big fires.
 
In 2002 lots of guys bailed up this type of corn around here. They were happy to do it as that is all some guys got put up for feed. I personally think if you have a feed wagon it would be better in a silage pile, then you could grind some straw and add some protein to it and get by ok.

Dry years makes a guy rethink the way we all feed, as it can get to expensive if we do it the traditional way.
 
BRG said:
In 2002 lots of guys bailed up this type of corn around here. They were happy to do it as that is all some guys got put up for feed. I personally think if you have a feed wagon it would be better in a silage pile, then you could grind some straw and add some protein to it and get by ok.

Dry years makes a guy rethink the way we all feed, as it can get to expensive if we do it the traditional way.
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lot's of non- traditional way's to feed but if you have to buy different equipment to do it any saving's are short lived
 
hayguy said:
BRG said:
In 2002 lots of guys bailed up this type of corn around here. They were happy to do it as that is all some guys got put up for feed. I personally think if you have a feed wagon it would be better in a silage pile, then you could grind some straw and add some protein to it and get by ok.

Dry years makes a guy rethink the way we all feed, as it can get to expensive if we do it the traditional way.
Click to expand...


lot's of non- traditional way's to feed but if you have to buy different equipment to do it any saving's are short lived
Click to expand...

Used chopper $1000 used high dump $1500 used feeder wagon $1500 if you don't get crazy on equipment you'll pay for it with the savings and it will always be worth what you paid for it.Unless you totally destroy it.We chop a couple hundred acres a year with 1 two row chopper 1 high dump 1 or 2 silage truck's and 3 to 4 people.Our fields are close to the pile and one truck normally can keep up.My self I'd chop it it's got to be so dry in order for it to be baled I baled some once and the only thing they ate was the little corn cobs the rest was black and rotten.
 
hayguy said:
BRG said:
In 2002 lots of guys bailed up this type of corn around here. They were happy to do it as that is all some guys got put up for feed. I personally think if you have a feed wagon it would be better in a silage pile, then you could grind some straw and add some protein to it and get by ok.

Dry years makes a guy rethink the way we all feed, as it can get to expensive if we do it the traditional way.
Click to expand...


lot's of non- traditional way's to feed but if you have to buy different equipment to do it any saving's are short lived
Click to expand...

You are right, but sometimes you don't have to own the equipment to get it done. We hire all of our chopping done. Our guy is good and comes when he says he will. So far this summer we chopped 140 acres of oats. The bill came to $36.90/acre or $8.61/ton of oatlage. We cut it ourselves, but if we were to bale it, we would have had to cut it ourselves anyway, so that is a wash. I don't think it cost us anymore per ton if we were to bale it or chop it. BUT, what we did get is a pile of good feed done in a day and we didn't have to worry about the windrow getting rained on, etc.
 
BRG said:
hayguy said:
BRG said:
In 2002 lots of guys bailed up this type of corn around here. They were happy to do it as that is all some guys got put up for feed. I personally think if you have a feed wagon it would be better in a silage pile, then you could grind some straw and add some protein to it and get by ok.

Dry years makes a guy rethink the way we all feed, as it can get to expensive if we do it the traditional way.
Click to expand...


lot's of non- traditional way's to feed but if you have to buy different equipment to do it any saving's are short lived
Click to expand...

You are right, but sometimes you don't have to own the equipment to get it done. We hire all of our chopping done. Our guy is good and comes when he says he will. So far this summer we chopped 140 acres of oats. The bill came to $36.90/acre or $8.61/ton of oatlage. We cut it ourselves, but if we were to bale it, we would have had to cut it ourselves anyway, so that is a wash. I don't think it cost us anymore per ton if we were to bale it or chop it. BUT, what we did get is a pile of good feed done in a day and we didn't have to worry about the windrow getting rained on, etc.
Click to expand...

I hear you... at least the part about rained on windrows
 
If it takes me swathing it down to get a rain that's what I will do. Silage around here for $100 acre flat rate. Think I am going that route and just sell it a move on.
 
tenbach79 said:
If it takes me swathing it down to get a rain that's what I will do. Silage around here for $100 acre flat rate. Think I am going that route and just sell it a move on.
Click to expand...
If your just selling it, you would be better off just leaving it stand. Even if it's a total loss. The residue is worth more than you would get from selling. Number one is a 5 foot burned up corn plant can catch a lot of snow and keep a field from blowing. Number two is nitrogen and micronutients and organic matter. Just in nitrogen an irrigated field can have up to 25 pounds of nitrogen in the residue. So a dryland field would have a third to half that. And all that residue on the ground keeps it from drying out for next years crop.
 
Ensiling will lower the nitrate levels so I would lean towards chopping. When you say 300, there is about 5 different ways that labs will show nitrate results. Is it nitrate nitrogen? Nitrates? Nitrite? They all have different conversions so you have to be careful.
 
That was nitrates and I cut the stock right at ground level. Talked to some guys that are cutting them 6" above ground to get away from some of the nitrates. Some test I was told where as high as 1900. If you let it stand you could fight volunteer corn next year. Plus I am sick of looking at a field of crappy corn. Plus the insurance won't cover what I have into it.
 

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