By Travis Meteer
It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of grazing cornstalks. Lowering feed costs, extending the grazing season, and getting animals back out on the land are all reasons to graze cornstalks.
Cattle will eat the more digestible and higher protein portions of the plant first. Cattle first eat the remaining corn grain, then husks, then leaves, and finally the stalk.
Therefore, a good mineral is adequate supplementation for the first month unless the herd includes fall-calving cows or stocker calves. For them, a supplement will be necessary to meet nutrient demands of lactation and growth, respectively.
At 150 bushels an acre, approximately 1 acre of cornstalks are needed to feed the cow for 30 days. To feed the same cow on cornstalks for 60 days, 2 acres would be needed. These are good numbers for budgeting. I challenge producers to continuously monitor the cattle, their behavior, and the amount of husk and leaf left in the field. Once the majority of the husk is gone, the feed value is relatively poor.
Scout fields for ear drop or down corn areas. A significant amount of grain loss in fields can cause acidosis. Fields with these areas will need careful management via strip grazing.
Source : illinois.edu