# Sweet Corn Stalks for Cattle



## Ken Scharabok (May 11, 2002)

Just my annual reminder green sweet corn stalks are an excellent supplement for cattle. Mine will eat everything but the tassle. Simply chop with a machete at base and toss handfuls at a time in the back of my pickup. Once I start cattle will meet me at the gate.

A couple of years ago Countryside magazine had an article on someone who put a limb shreader in the back of their pickup. They fed the stalks through it, blowing the choppings into heavy-duty garbage bags, which they sealed when full to make silage. Personally I would double bag just in case. Carefully handled the bags should be able to be cleaned and reused.


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

Thanks Ken, anything to fill my steers stomachs, heaven knows I have little pasture left....depressing is an understatement,,,,John


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## floramum (Jul 20, 2005)

I Ordered 8 Pounds Of Corn Seed Last Summer To Do Just That. We Have An Extremely Wet Time After That And Into The Fall, So I Couldnt Plant It. Then My Son Was Moving Back And I Had To Change Houses.....so Still Delayed Planting. Finally, The First Of The Year I Planted It In 4 X4 Planters -4 Of Them......the Cows Were Served "corn Grass" At About 15 Inches High For Three Plantings Before The Rains Came Again And Their Own Grass Tasted Better. After That They Wouldnt Eat It. We Have Replanted In The Ground Now Hoping To Find Out Exactly What Kind Of Corn We Have. None Of The Other Got As Far As Making Ears.


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## weever (Oct 1, 2006)

Just a word to the wise...Cattle love it so much that they pick up the stalks and swing them around while they're fighting over who gets what. Don't feed too close to an electric fence wire gate with just a hook closure (no coffee yet this morning, can't think of correct terminology). They can pop that gate open very easily while swinging the stalks around.

We once had an unfortunate incident with Angus steers on the road during a pitch black night. They all got out, and were wandering. The police were responding to another call further on down the road. The first squad car missed hitting anyone and radioed back to watch out for black cows on the road. Despite this warning, the second car hit one of the steers. Fortunately for us, the steer won--no major injuries. The squad car was in rough shape, though, and I hate to think of the razzing that policeman took from his buddies...

Anyway. Weird things happen on farms. Avoid this one.


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## bumpus (Jul 30, 2003)

.
Corn stalks will fill the belly but it has very low food value.

Best used on older cattle

About 4 - 5 % protine
.


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## Ken Scharabok (May 11, 2002)

Admitted fill and not much feed value. About a third of the stalks still have an ear on them so some additional feed value there. If they could one of them would open the gate for me when they hear me coming down the road.

I grow no sweetcorn myself. Have folks who do and call me to come and take the stalks. Mostly cut myself, but one puts them in a pile outside the garden electric fence for me.

Neighbor across road brings me husks and cobs on which they have cut off the corn for creamed corn.

Where I'm hauling from now it is peaches and cream. Grower took the 1,000 ears they wanted. Left all the rest of the ears for me to feed out. Later will haul off his Hickory King. Those are about like chopping down small trees.

I have three large fields rented out to a row cropper. Corn this year (two corn, one beans rotation). We have an agreement I can chop all I want of the corn crop. When harvest time I will measure out area and we will come up with a charge based on his average bushels per acre and selling price for what I cut. Field corn, but will have ears.

Just costs me my time and some gas and a tad of wear and tear on an old pickup for the haul-aways though.


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## Up North (Nov 29, 2005)

Works Great for Hogs as well.


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## JulieLou42 (Mar 28, 2005)

Floramum:

Please stop capitalizing each word...besides being incorrect English, it's very hard for others to read...about like someone who uses full caps..only worse!

Thanks kindly.


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## Ken Scharabok (May 11, 2002)

My 2.12 donkeys like it quite well also.


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## Jcran (Jan 4, 2006)

If you live in any area that has the invasive acacia tree, my calves are going nuts for it, grabbing it through the fence, munching it down, browsing like goats. I live in California, up north coastal, and don't know if other folks have issues with it like us, but holy buckets, it grows as fast as corn and straight up! I've got no idea of the nutritional value, but in searching, it says its used as a nutritive in Africa...hmmm. I wish I had the corn bonanza you have though!


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## Up North (Nov 29, 2005)

While SweetCorn stalks may be low in protien, if harvested while still green(I'm not talking about dried out brown December cornstalks) I believe they provide a substantial amount of energy.
Two sides of a balance beam are required to feed cattle. Protien & Energy.


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

There used to be a canning factory where we had our first dairy farm. They had sweet corn stalks every year and you had to sign up on a list to hopefully get some seemed that everybody wanted them.
Any smaller ears that weren't harvested add to the feed value.
We run ours through the chipper/shredder each year and the animals love it.


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