Let someone else grow your corn for silage.

In the July/Aug 2001 issue there is an excellent article by Julia Sunkler on "Create your own corn silage."

While reading it, I was struck with the thought you do not necessarily have to grow your own corn to produce it.

In my area, West-central, TN, a number of people in the area grow far more sweet corn than needed. Several will let me come and chop down the stalks, which I then haul and feed to my cattle. I estimate I haul up to 50 flatbed truck loads before it becomes too dry to be effective cattle feed. Plus, about half of the stalks will still have an ear on them, some of which end up in my kitchen.

Actually, this is a win-win situation for both of us. They get the stalks removed so they can roto-till or plow for their next crop, and I get high quality cattle feed for little more than the cost of gas.

While some of my sources are word-of-mouth, some also come from a simple classified ad in the local paper, "Please let me haul off your sweet corn stalks for cattle feed. Call...."

Perhaps something like this would work for someone desiring to make silage out of it, as does Julia, but simply doesn't have the time, space or inclination to grow their own corn. Simply bring it home by the pickup load and then run it through a yard-chipper as described by her in the article.

Julia mentioned if the corn becomes too dry it couldn't be made into silage.

While I was visiting in Croatia in May 2001, I visited a feedlot with a 3,000 head capacity. The cattle were fed a mix of low-moisture corn silage (actually more haylage than silage), spent brewers malt and a bit of vitamin/mineral/salt supplement. The silage had been put up so dry there was no effluence seeping out of the stack. A handful easily crumbled. I noted the corn kernels were hard. Thus, corn haylage may be just as effective livestock feed as corn silage and may store better.

She also mentioned putting it into a lined box. I would think the 30-something gallon plastic drums with screw-on lids available at many farmer supply outlets would make very good storage containers for silage.

--Ken
Scharabok, Waverly, TN