Grazing Corn...

[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.

[food4u]

You fellows that are trying to swath graze and having a snow problem should put a couple of horse with them and they will paw open the swaths for the cows. Have not personnally done this but have seen it done. People have tried swath grazing in this but quite because of TOO many deer and WAY TOO many snow geese in the late fall.

[cswilson]

Actually there's too much snow for the ponies to even work-on guy was trying to roll the swaths up with a D8 cat. We've got a record snowfall that's been rained on a couple times and packed pretty hard. Horses do work well to paw up swaths up-you risk foundering a good horse if your swaths are too rich.