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For a neighbor, question on harvesting corn

F

Faster horses

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
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30,475
Location
NE WY at the foot of the Big Horn mountains
We have some young neighbors that planted corn this year and got a great crop. Now they are harvesting it. They put some up for silage and are wondering what to do with the rest of it. It is dried up. They looked at a corn picker to pick some, but they said they would spend more time fixing the thing than picking corn. :? Their question is, should they bale it or combine it? They only have a swather with a conditioner and what will that do to the corn when it runs through the conditioner?

At this point should they combine it?
I think they are wanting to use it for livestock feed.

Thanks for your help.
 
cheapest way to harvest it would be to graze it.

They push a path down with a front end loader and put up portable electric fence so they can limit how much the cows have access to. Only move the wire when they get what they have access to cleaned up.
 
If all they have is a chopper I'd just chop the rest. Picker's are plentiful here but that doesn't help. Can't they find a custom combine. If it's not dry the bales will spoil it has to be very dry to bale and keep.Another trick is let it dry down and shed it's leaves then chop it as high as possible and bag that it will be a better concentration of corn. Myself I'd just chop it all.
 
Hire someone to combine it and then either graze the stalks if they can. If they can't, then go out there with a rake and rake all the leaves and bale it. It makes great bedding and feed. Especially good feed if you grind it and mix it with something else. Corn is pretty valuable in MT as most guys I know have to bring it in on rail as not much is raised out there.
 
Faster horses said:
We have some young neighbors that planted corn this year and got a great crop. Now they are harvesting it. They put some up for silage and are wondering what to do with the rest of it. It is dried up. They looked at a corn picker to pick some, but they said they would spend more time fixing the thing than picking corn. :? Their question is, should they bale it or combine it? They only have a swather with a conditioner and what will that do to the corn when it runs through the conditioner?

At this point should they combine it?
I think they are wanting to use it for livestock feed.

Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...

these young neighbors last name happen to begin with an R ?
 
Big Muddy rancher said:
cheapest way to harvest it would be to graze it.

They push a path down with a front end loader and put up portable electric fence so they can limit how much the cows have access to. Only move the wire when they get what they have access to cleaned up.
Click to expand...

That would be my recommendation, too. Don't forget to put plenty of sodium bicarb in the water and put it out in a mineral feeder free choice as well.
 
loomixguy said:
Big Muddy rancher said:
cheapest way to harvest it would be to graze it.

They push a path down with a front end loader and put up portable electric fence so they can limit how much the cows have access to. Only move the wire when they get what they have access to cleaned up.
Click to expand...

That would be my recommendation, too. Don't forget to put plenty of sodium bicarb in the water and put it out in a mineral feeder free choice as well.
Click to expand...

This is a good way to founder a set of sound cows.
 
BRG said:
loomixguy said:
Big Muddy rancher said:
cheapest way to harvest it would be to graze it.

They push a path down with a front end loader and put up portable electric fence so they can limit how much the cows have access to. Only move the wire when they get what they have access to cleaned up.
Click to expand...

That would be my recommendation, too. Don't forget to put plenty of sodium bicarb in the water and put it out in a mineral feeder free choice as well.
Click to expand...

This is a good way to founder a set of sound cows.
Click to expand...

Quite a bit of it done up this way. They just limit the ground they have access to.
 
There is a great article in this months progressive forage grower about grazing standing corn stalks. Might not hurt to read
 
BRG said:
loomixguy said:
Big Muddy rancher said:
cheapest way to harvest it would be to graze it.

They push a path down with a front end loader and put up portable electric fence so they can limit how much the cows have access to. Only move the wire when they get what they have access to cleaned up.
Click to expand...

That would be my recommendation, too. Don't forget to put plenty of sodium bicarb in the water and put it out in a mineral feeder free choice as well.
Click to expand...

This is a good way to founder a set of sound cows.
Click to expand...

We do it in this country all the time. That's why you put out the bicarb. If you have LOOMIX out there with them, they will crave dry matter and not tank up so much on the corn. ;)
 
BRG said:
loomixguy said:
Big Muddy rancher said:
cheapest way to harvest it would be to graze it.

They push a path down with a front end loader and put up portable electric fence so they can limit how much the cows have access to. Only move the wire when they get what they have access to cleaned up.
Click to expand...

That would be my recommendation, too. Don't forget to put plenty of sodium bicarb in the water and put it out in a mineral feeder free choice as well.
Click to expand...

This is a good way to founder a set of sound cows.
Click to expand...

It depends on how you do it. You can't just fence it off and say here you go. I know of a guy that had his cows on some irrigated corn stalks that the plants fell over and dropped ears and there was probly 30-40 bu on the ground and they did ok. I think the number one thing that you don't do is put them out there hungry. They like the leaves and the husks and will eat the heck out of them as well as the grain.
 
Maybe them two boys could earlaege it. I have an uncle that sells all his corn to Diamond Ring like that, I guess it makes excellent feed. I'm not sure if it is too late for that though.
 
Faster horses said:
Thanks, everyone, for your response. Soon as I can get one of them on the phone, I will read what you all suggested and they can decide. I'm sure this will be of help to them.


Justin: these young neighbors last name happen to begin with an R ?


:lol: :lol: :lol: :wink:
Click to expand...

if it is, i told them this spring they had no business tryin to be a farmer. :D :wink:
 
Justin said:
Faster horses said:
Thanks, everyone, for your response. Soon as I can get one of them on the phone, I will read what you all suggested and they can decide. I'm sure this will be of help to them.


Justin: these young neighbors last name happen to begin with an R ?


:lol: :lol: :lol: :wink:
Click to expand...

if it is, i told them this spring they had no business tryin to be a farmer. :D :wink:
Click to expand...


:lol: :lol: :lol:
Well, anyway, this year they had a heck of a corn crop and millet, too, I think.
Those fellas are busy!!! They are doing a good job!
 
combine it definetly that corn if dry 15percent will last a year easy . then they can supplement it to what needs it or back ground some calves next fall . if there is a feed store close they could put it in a grain bank. or it is worth 4.50 a bushel some extra spending money which anyone can use.
 

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