A lot of cattle owners feed cornstalk bales to their animals to save money. This material is highly nutritious but the price is steep. If you are considering feeding your cattle cornstalk bales, read on to learn more about its nutritional value, storage, and risks. You might also want to check out cheaper alternatives. However, this may not be the best option for your operation. Consider the following points:
Contents
Cost
A beef farmer can make a profit from the sale of feed made from cornstalks, which typically sell for $70 a ton. Cornstalks can also be sold for $25 to $30 per round bale. Baling can be a labor-intensive process, and custom hire can run upwards of $40 a bale. The cost of feeding corn stalk bales to cattle can be a worthwhile investment if you know how to make the most of this material.
Although the cost of feeding corn stalks to cattle can be a significant factor in your decision-making process, it is often impossible to determine the break-even point for each feed. While natural market fluctuations are out of your control, an example scenario can help you determine your break-even point and guide your decision. To help determine the optimal feed for your cattle, be sure to consider local and regional price fluctuations when comparing the two.
Nutritional value
Corn stalk bales for cattle can be fed to calves to keep them well-fed throughout the winter. However, before feeding the bales to your cattle, you should determine their nutritional value. Cattle that are fed a diet high in cornstalks are likely to require extra protein, which can be difficult to provide on their own. A higher-quality bale will also help your cattle avoid excessive thirst and loss of weight.
Although cornstalks do not contain the same nutritional value as other forages, the addition of cornstalks can help beef producers stretch their hay supplies throughout the winter. Feeding your cattle cornstalks free-choice will encourage more sorting, which is better for your cattle’s digestion and overall health. The high-quality bales will also last longer when mixed with other forages and feeds, so you can stretch them even further.
Storage
If you are considering using corn stalk bales for feed, you may be wondering if they are the best choice for your cattle. First, you should consider whether they can be safely stored in a dry environment. A common misconception is that bales are only good for feeding cattle if they are twine-tied, but this isn’t always the case. In addition to this, bales made of corn stalks must be treated for quality control. This treatment will not kill the bacteria that cause disease, so it is important to test the corn stalks for mycotoxins and nitrates before feeding them to cattle.
The Michigan Corn Stover Project has developed three articles and a bulletin to help farmers learn how to store corn stalk bales for feeding cattle. The first article discusses how to store corn stover bales. While storing them outdoors is fine through the winter, the dry matter loss increases after 120 days, and the bales will lose structural integrity. In addition, the moisture content in corn stover will also increase, which will reduce the quality of the feed.
Risks
The benefits of grazing cornstalks in pastures are many. Feeding cattle this natural feed source will reduce stored feed costs, keep the soil rich in organic matter, and spread manure. While cornstalks are less digestible than grass, bales of cornstalks have improved the ratio of stalks to leaves and husks. Grazing cornstalks can provide a healthy diet for cattle by containing 6-8% crude protein, 50-55 percent digestible nutrients, and seven-to-eight percent ash. However, the quality of cornstalks will vary greatly based on the growing season, weather post-grazing, and the method used to bale them. Furthermore, moisture content may cause mold growth. To reduce this risk, Nebraska has an Excel-based cornstalk grazing calculator.
While corn stalks can be used in a cattle feed, the nutritional value of these feeds varies widely. Unlike grass, corn stalks contain significant amounts of moisture, which makes them difficult to bale. Also, since corn is extremely coarse, it must be packed and wrapped properly to prevent it from spoiling during transport. Corn stalks should be baled when their moisture content is 50-60 percent. Cutting the silage at a higher level will also reduce the potential nitrate contamination.
Recommendations
Feeding cattle on corn stalks has many benefits, including extending grazing season, promoting exercise in late-gestating cows, and fertilizing fields. However, producers should be mindful of the nutritional value of these feedstuffs, especially during inclement weather. In this article, a forage specialist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln discusses how the weather affects the quality of corn stalk. It can reduce the feed quality in several ways, and this article will explain the benefits and drawbacks of end-to-end storage orientation.
While feeding cornstalks as hay, these feeds contain a relatively low energy and protein content. A typical cornstalk yield is about six percent protein and 50 percent digestible nutrients. The remaining husk and leaf material contributes only a small amount of protein to the feed, making it insufficient for feeding cattle. Cattle will also pick through the cornstalk bales, resulting in high levels of waste. For optimal utilization, cornstalks should be flail chopped and dried before baling. Flail chopping and mixing in the TMR can help improve the quality of the feed.
