Grazing Corn...

[smcgrath76]

Anyone have any experience with this?
I attended a deal last week on corn for winter grazing and it looks pretty good. I am pretty sure that I can't get my costs down to what we are doing grazing native range in the winter, but it is not too far off. Where I see an advantage would be in raw tonnage of feed per acre. It appears that we could increase our cow numbers and reduce some of our fixed costs per head.
They are talking 200 - 250 AUGD per acre. The suspicious rancher in me thinks if it looks too good to be true...
Does anyone have any experience with this? Thoughts?

[cswilson]

When corn works it's great-if you have a cold summer not much production at all in our country and 'VERY EXPENSIVE' to grow-so a fairly high risk to it. I saw a herd of cows corn grazing east of Prince Albert last week and they looked good.

[grassfarmer]

I see corn grown more often around us recently too. In a marginal grain area like this it looks way too risky to me. I read somewhere that unless it forms cobs it's just really expensive grass in terms of feed value. It seems an ideal crop for parasites though (metal merchants, fuel salesmen, seed suppliers, fertiliser companies and spray suppliers)

[Cattleman]

smcgrath, I was just wondering what your costs for winter grazing native grass are? How much summer grazing do you get off this land you winter graze? Because wouldn't it be quite large investment in land for winter grazing? Just curious, I still have lots to learn on grazing banked grass. Thanks

[kato]

Our costs worked out to about 50 cents a day per cow over the last two years. We had about 200 cows on 75 acres, and it lasted 77 days. Oct 18 to Jan 3. There were about 90 calves on the cows for about three weeks of this. The cows will gain weight, even with calves still on them.

We only put about 50 pounds of nitrogen on this year, as this is what the soil test said we needed. I guess there was carry over from the manure from last year's grazing. This year we may not need any fertilizer on part of it, because we spread manure on it too.

We grew about 12 tonnes per acre. Cobs about a foot long, corn about 8 feet high. It was Roundup ready. Saves on cultivation during the summer. We're not set up for that.

The important thing is to get cobs. In 2005 we got a frost, but the cobs were already formed and filled, so it didn't hurt. They actually cleaned the field up better because the stalks weren't so mature and dry. This year it had lots of time to mature, and they were a lot pickier about cleaning up the stalks.

We've already got next year's corn seed.

[smcgrath76]

The figures presented were around $175 an acre for production of roughly 200 to 250 AUGD per acre with no land rent figured in. That works out to $0.70 to $0.875 per cow per day on corn.
On stockpiled native range we don't get any summer grazing. We can run a cow for just over a month on an acre. At $20 per acre rental that is right around $0.67 per day. If we look only at interest costs on our mortgage, the cost is significantly less. If we look at principal plus interest the cost is about the same as the $0.67.
We would like to expand our land base but the economics of grazing are significantly different when you buy native pasture land for $1000 an acre.
This system won't work for those who raise blue grama pastures, but on our fescue, late calving situation it works well for us.
We were cornered a bit this winter by snow depth, hence part of the interest in corn.

[farmers_son]

I have been told that at least one company will guarantee a minimum amount of grazing or a maximum cost per AUM. Sorry, can't be any more specific than that.

A neighbour is grazing corn and his comments are the same as Kato's, i.e. the corn land was not requiring all that much nitrogen and the cobs are important. The cows sure look happy out in his corn field.

[Ron]

How does grazing corn compare to swath grazing cereals?
The studies I have read seed corn in early may and cereals in early/mid june to have them mature late enough. You have a substantial yield loss in late seeding the cereals. If you early seeded a long season cereal (spring trit?) and swath grazed your input costs would be way less than corn and it is easier to grow a traditional crop than planting corn? Should be more consistent year to year than corn also?

[cswilson]

Swath Grazing is pretty tough now most guys lost it all because of the big snows-lots of hay going out of our country to those guys right now. Were bale graze feeding 430 cows and calves mixed right now for $215/day for the group-hay is delivered to their mouth. Unless your assured of some heat units and moisture corn is a crapshoot.

[grassfarmer]

Farmers_son, I can't remember the company that offered the price guarantee you mention but I remember reading the small print and thinking it was a con. They boasted of an average cost per AUD of something like 40-75 cents but their price guarantee was if the crop cost more than a dollar per AUD they refunded you part of the expense - about 10 cents per day if I remember right.

[smcgrath76]

Our swath grazing is pretty well snowed under. We are way south of CS in sunny Vermilion, but cows are pretty tough and are retouring the swaths to get at it.
Worst case secenario on our swaths is that we clean them up in April/May and our grass grows a little longer in the spring before it sees cows.

[cswilson]

Do you live at Vermillion Sean-I thought you were furthur south than that. I'll have to stop in someday.

[smcgrath76]

CS - I talk to one of your neighbours on a semi regular basis.
I may even pop over to the college to look at some bulls the odd time.

[nicolaas]

I got some 1/2 price RR corn seed this last spring, enough for 25 acres. Seeded it with 70# N We got very dry this year ( hybrid canola and wheat approx 30 bu/acre and silage went about 3 tonnes /acre). We got some timely rains on the corn and got some cobs. It came to $.61 per day for cow/calf, (grazed 13 days on 25 acres). If we had to pay full price for the seed, it would be at $.81 per day. It was a dry year, and seemed to work due to the ample heat units. It turned out to out produce my oat silage and was cheaper. In fact, it was cheaper than my swath grazing that really dried up and came in at a whopping $1.25 per day with all costs (land, taxes, seeding, swathing, fert, etc. was included) Therefore, I am going to put in 40 acres this year of RR corn at full price, so we'll see how things go. potential $.81 per day with all cost included not so bad, though we move fence every day--same as with swathgrazing.

[food4u]

Both our daughters and son-in-laws have been growing corn for grazing the last two years and are very impressed with it.One is dry land and the other is irragated.Both say when the cows are on corn you can not get them to eat hay at all.