Grazing Standing Corn Setting Fence, Economics, Uses
Рет қаралды 17,227
2 жыл бұрынStanding corn can be a great forage to offset the summertime slump or a great stockpile in the wintertime. We have been grazing corn for 9 years. It produces excellent tonnage for a reasonable cost per ton. Watch till the end to see the grazing time lapse.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Link Tree linktr.ee/russwilson
Follow us on Facebook / russ.wilson.9277
WebSite www.russwilson.net
________________________________________________________________________
Russ's Merchandise Store
www.russwilsonmerch.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Links to Products We Recommend
The only hydrant we use.
Woodford Y34-3 Yard Hydrant Freezeless,3 ft bury depth
amzn.to/3hFccVY
The Best Stocktank Valve you can buy!!
Brass Stocktank Valve
Mueller Industries 109-814 Float Valves, 0.75 Inch
amzn.to/2Tko31T
An awesome saw for cutting trees off the fence!!!
Greenworks G-MAX 40V 16-Inch Cordless Chainsaw
amzn.to/2TMS1MJ
GoPro Max is the camera I use to film KZfaq videos!!
amzn.to/3woQQQY
NOCO Battery Booster Pack
amzn.to/2TqDE07
Poly Braid WIre
Gallagher North America 7/64x1312 Turbo Braid
amzn.to/3uaHUNL
Grease Monkey Pro Fingerless All Purpose Work Gloves
amzn.to/3zW0I6X
50 Pack - 4.5"x.040"x7/8" Bench Mark, Quality Thin Cut Off Wheels Metal & Stainless Steel
amzn.to/3sbaI9G
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Great Reads:
MAN, CATTLE and VELD by Johann Zietsman
amzn.to/3bQzkNR
The One-Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming by Masanobu Fukuoka (Author, Afterword), Larry Korn (Editor), Wendell Berry (Preface), Frances Moore Lappe (Introduction)
amzn.to/3hOgpqR
Holistic Management, Third Edition: A Commonsense Revolution to Restore Our Environment by Allen Savory
amzn.to/34bAUpr
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Humans Societies by Jared Diamond Ph.D.
amzn.to/3ffaZmW
Toxic Plants of North America 2nd Edition
by George E. Burrows
amzn.to/2T5Ej6Q
The Nature and Properties of Soils, 14th Edition
by Nyle C. Brady (Author), Ray R. Weil
amzn.to/3umhUPS
#grazingcorn #wintercorngrazing #winterforages #tonsofforage
@dwilliamslamb5417 Жыл бұрын
I put our cows on 6' high sorghum. They loved that stuff so much we call the crop cow meth. A lot of those cows were pissed that they had to go on a stand of alfalfa/natural grass mix following the sorghum. In fact, many of them stood at that electric back fence longingly looking at their now eradicated field of meth. Poor girls:) Thanks for uploading this video. I hadn't known anybody else that did this so it's nice to see your video on my KZfaq feed. By the way, your girls look good, as does your soil.
@larrysteinbronn7506 2 жыл бұрын
I just came across your videos today. In 2016 when I purchased the century farm where my mother grew up. I've been farming organic since buying it and carrying on raising the Wapsie Valley Dent open pollinated corn my Dad developed in 1971. Two years ago, I purchased my first cattle since 1991. We are currently transitioning to reduced tillage to no-till regenerative organic production. Grazing cattle is going to be a big part of what we do on our farm, and I really appreciate your experience and insight along with your willingness to share it.
@bobjarrard Ай бұрын
excellent post - thanks - bob in Nevada
@Evan-is5lc Жыл бұрын
I believe the university of Iowa did a study on a corn sorghum mix as a silage crop. It outperformed either alone, but more importantly was far more consistent year to year. I imagine the same would apply to grazing it, and the sorghum could have time to put a little bit of mass on again for stockpile.
@ryanforbes3021 2 жыл бұрын
Seems like it would be oddly satisfying to drive through standing corn.
@RussWilson 2 жыл бұрын
It is so much fun!!
@glorgau Жыл бұрын
Nice discussion of the numbers.
@kevinmcgrath1052 2 жыл бұрын
Excellent presentation
@shakerLT 2 жыл бұрын
Great video Russ! Love the music ......very epic! Lol Thanks for sharing your farm with us viewers. I always learn something by watching your channel.
@RussWilson 2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching!! If there is anything you'd like to see in a video let me know. I try to share content that will help others be successful.
@kevinswalley5644 2 жыл бұрын
I'm impressed. I can't drive a straight line across a bare field, let alone thru that jungle. Lol
@RussWilson 2 жыл бұрын
It's a whole new experience driving in the corn. Kind of like having blinders on. I just got lucky!!
@zolagoat4274 2 жыл бұрын
Excellent content, thanks for making these videos.
@RussWilson 2 жыл бұрын
Glad you enjoy it! If there is anything you'd like to see let me know.
@michaelbenson2024 Жыл бұрын
Russ Thanks for your insight on corn.chopping corn for dairy cows kept their belly’s feed and good bedding.
@davidhickenbottom6574 2 жыл бұрын
Wow great video. Good information thanks.
@RussWilson 2 жыл бұрын
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!!
@garyuselman8597 5 ай бұрын
When i grazed corn for the first time all my niebhors would call me up and say your cows got out and are in your corn field ! 😂 Much simpler and cheaper way then harvesting and than having to bring the feed back to them!
@RussWilson 4 ай бұрын
It's really fun grazing corn!
@infiniteadam7352 2 жыл бұрын
Would love to see a timelapse of the grazing....also look into Jadam organic farming, ultra low cost farming.
@RussWilson 2 жыл бұрын
I have a time-lapse some wheres when I find it I'll let you know. I'm looking into that book sounds interesting. Thank You!!
@ezrasiegrist502 2 жыл бұрын
so cool see the herd go to eating on standing corn
@RussWilson 2 жыл бұрын
It is something everyone should experience. It a lot fun watching the cows disappear in to the corn. Thanks for watching!!
@greggergen9104 2 жыл бұрын
It is really a lot of fun following you. I like the diversity of ways you feed your cows. What I find fascinating is based upon your time lapse video, the cows prefer the downed corn to the standing corn. It is amazing that where I grew up it was major Green Giant sweetcorn country and nobody to my knowledge grazed the cornstalks. Plus there was quite a bit of missed ears amongst the cornstalks.
@RussWilson 2 жыл бұрын
The corns do like down corn over standing. I think it harder for them to reach up and graze. Thanks for watching!!
@ryanforbes3021 2 жыл бұрын
I grow some sweetcorn and after the cobs are picked my cows or pigs get put in with the stalks.
@RussWilson 2 жыл бұрын
@@ryanforbes3021 great use of the stalks.
@ryanforbes3021 2 жыл бұрын
@@RussWilson when I say some sweetcorn, i should say a 1 acre plus. Not just a few rows in the garden. Lol
@RussWilson 2 жыл бұрын
@@ryanforbes3021 We grow at least 1/2 acre. What we don't sell the livestock eat.
@garyuselman8597 5 ай бұрын
Most excellent vidieo
@RussWilson 4 ай бұрын
Thanks for watching!
@leoscheibelhut940 Жыл бұрын
When I was a grass-based dairy farmer, I grazed the herd on corn and it penciled out similar to your numbers vs hay. Grazing corn always pushed milk production up. Do you replant that field to a winter cover crop like cereal rye and hairy vetch? I used to and it provided great early season grazing for me. Like you I no-tilled in my crops.
@doug7177 2 жыл бұрын
Glad to see you are using OP corn instead of GMO corn....the nutrient content of the OP is much higher. Also that would be a good way to establish some red river crabgrass.
@RussWilson 2 жыл бұрын
OP corn is all i use. The GMO's are to expensive for me. OP corn has about 30% more protein than the GMO's. I bought some crabgrass seed this year but didn't get it planted. Hopefully next year. I've had carb grass volunteer in fields before makes get forage.
@mattdavis9356 Жыл бұрын
Can it work with dariy cows 20 head very small dariy trying to think out side the box too always Love your way of doing Thanks
@fikretguler2440 Ай бұрын
Is there any bloating you on grazing corn? Must be give some hay before start grazing corn? And in dryland conditions any risks of grazing full corn? If we mix with sunflowers and other spicies what varieties we should select in dryland conditions you suggest. Thank you for your videos really great ways.
@marvinbaier3627 2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for all your videos! What kind of planter did you use? Width? How do you spread your seed broadcast or drill? Do you no till everything that you planted? Thanks again!
@RussWilson 2 жыл бұрын
Great Question? My planters are no till. I have a john deere 7000 2 row no till corn planter and a truax 8 row no till grass drill. My prefered planting method is to broadcast seeding front of the livestock and let them work the seed in. I also have three seed spinners two are homemade that go o the side by side and one is a hand spinner.
@shawnsteene5499 2 жыл бұрын
Have you considered 60-inch corn rows with a cover crop mix between the rows? The cows could graze the corn and also get the cover crop (perhaps not all at one feeding...) Just curious.... Love your videos...I wish I could get my brother-in-law and his son out in Wisconsin to watch them and consider what might be applicable for them....
@RussWilson 2 жыл бұрын
I was going to do that last year but ran out of time to get it done. We have done it on 36" rows with lower plant population worked really well improved the feed quality.
@MrMantraMan 2 жыл бұрын
What is the other corn off to the side? Are you going to put an annual into the old stalks for over winter and early spring grazing, rye or a brassica? We would buy a calf or two for home finishing and we would feed them the sweet corn stalks after we picked the ears good enough for eating. Having seen my friends raise corn for the big packers there was certainly some graze days after they picked (and they did not fool around, they would hit that corn at peak sugar with a huge crew)
@RussWilson 2 жыл бұрын
On the other side of the field is six rows of sweetcorn and a cover crop of a bunch of different warm season annuals. We will come back in the corn field with a winter rye cover crop mix for grazing early spring. We have baled sweet corn and wrap it makes great silage. Thanks for watching!!
@ryanmurray3715 2 жыл бұрын
What were the drawbacks of winter grazing the standing corn verse wintering on stockpiled grass?
@RussWilson 2 жыл бұрын
I have grazed corn in the winter. The major drawback is the corn loses a lot of its quality. It usually tests at around 7% crude protein. However still good enough for gestational livestock. I major drawback for me is the wildlife. If we leave our corn stand to long. Every animal that eats corn is there they will clean us out. Stockpiled grasses are usually higher quality. Great question!!
@gggbon 2 жыл бұрын
Very interesting. The grazing time lapse was really informative. Do you plant different maturity corn to increase the grazing period? Have you tried other crops other than corn? E.g. sorghum mixed with sunflowers and some legumes? May be hard to balance feed quality though, as the mix ratio will depend on the season's weather, but I've seen some people do it
@reds6836 2 жыл бұрын
With your corn planting do your use cover crop in between rows?
@RussWilson 2 жыл бұрын
This I did cause i just didn't get to it. Most of the time do plant covers between the rows. It helps with feed quality. Thanks for watching!!
@peterclark6290 2 жыл бұрын
Can the corn be planted with separation zones? So you don't need to knock it down before pasturing it? Is using Roundup essential, it contains Glyphosate which has a very bad reputation in foodstuffs? Perhaps crimping the cover before seeding is the better option? Lot of farmers, crimp and seed in one pass, some are even adding an inoculant tea at the same time.
@RussWilson 2 жыл бұрын
The corn could be planted in zones. You don't have to use roundup there are a lot of different options to establish corn. Crimping cover crop is one. Thanks for watching!!
@stevec7272 Жыл бұрын
Wouldn't it be cheaper to plant perennials like alfalfa, clover and prairie grass and rotate the cows through the fields during the summer and fall months?
@reds6836 2 жыл бұрын
Do you mineral supplement your cattle?
@RussWilson 2 жыл бұрын
We do supplement te livestock with minerals. We test the grasses for deficiencies and mix the minerals to meet the deficiencies. Our soils are deficient in copper, selenium, sulfur, and a few others. Selenium is the big one for us. Selenium deficiencies can cause all kinds of problems. Great question!!!
@GRAZINGARIZONA Жыл бұрын
@ Russ Man I can watch those timelapse all day, amazing. Hey Russ, have you ever considered bamboo somehow for grazing or supplementing by throwing bamboo poles with a bunch of leaves into the current grazing area. I've been seeing nutrition is pretty decent for cows n sheep type livestock. Fyi, I know nothing, I'm just now trying to figure out what will feed animals I'd like to raise and how to grow it on my 7a, 7b zone clay high desert (ashfork AZ) land. I recently landed on your channel, like the no nonsense style and absolutely love the timelapse. I haven't watched a ton of your video's yet (prolly like 10 or about I have noticed the timelapse in several I've watched. Amazing to see that tall corn get obliterated and knowing the carnage only leads to an even more bountiful crop next grow. Another question you might be able to answer, if you were doing multi species follow the leader type rotation grazing (cows, sheep, chickens, rabbits maybe pigs), what order would you go in and how many days between one species to the next? Maybe some simultaneously or all possibly. Thank you for the content, gonna go take advantage of it right now.
@heathmumm9576 2 жыл бұрын
Just curious how many animals you had on the paddock and how long between moves….daily, twice a day, etc?
@RussWilson 2 жыл бұрын
We had 70 animal units on that field. There was 3 1/2 acres and it lasted 18 days. On that field we moved the cows once per day. If it got wet we would give them a smaller section than move them twice per day. Great question thanks for watching!!
@heathmumm9576 2 жыл бұрын
No problem! Greg Judy recommend your channel. Love the content and different ideas you have! Keep it up!
@RussWilson 2 жыл бұрын
@@heathmumm9576 Welcome aboard!
@nonyadamnbusiness9887 4 күн бұрын
You say you plant Silver King and yet, you keep saying the corn is open pollinated. Silver King is a hybrid SE sweet corn.
@RussWilson 3 күн бұрын
Here is the silver king we use. It is a white dent corn and open pollinated. openpollinated.com/product/silver-king-100-days-untreated/ Thanks for the comment.
@SasquatchBioacoustic 2 жыл бұрын
How about the annualized production/cost of that acreage? Does it go fallow after the corn, or do you reseed to something else that you can graze through the winter? If you reseed, that's added cost. Then there's land prep, do you spray for weeds in the spring before planting? It seems like you analysis is only looking at a portion of that acreage's ability to provide forage for the entire year. Maybe a better metric would be cow days per acre over the course of a year. How would that number compare to some of your cool season pastures' annual production?
@RussWilson 2 жыл бұрын
There are 1001 ways of figuring the costs out. With the two grazings, we did before the corn was planted are going to be around 600 grazing days per acre. The corn will not be fallow we try to keep living roots in the soil. Soon as the cows come off the field we will plant a rye-based cover crop mix no herbicide will be used. The Rye cover crop will let us get out earlier in the spring (reducing hay costs). We are harvesting 5 tons that = 400 grazing days. Our average cool-season pasture is around 225 grazing days so getting 600 grazing days extends the grazing season lessening the cost of hay. Sure there is an expense to planting but it is considerably less per ton than the cost of stored feeds. 2020 carry capacity of the farm was 1AU to 1.62Acres for 320 days IMO very respectable. This year will even be longer shooting for our goal of 365 Grazing days. Thanks for the great questions!!!
@tesha199 2 жыл бұрын
Wouldn't it be much cheaper to turn into a pasture, where you just throw 30 different plant seed and your inputs will go way down, plus your cows get a more diverse nutrition, which leads to better health. The only advantage I see with corn is maybe they put on a weight faster, but at what cost? Imagine the amount of time saved on seeding, spraying, and so on... When a pasture is established, your costs will go way down.
@RussWilson 2 жыл бұрын
Thank a great question!! Diverse nutrition does lead to better health. It very rare that my livestock stay on one field long enough to not a have a diverse diet. They were moved off the corn field three times. This is why a do it. 30% of my grazing comes on 10% of my land using corn or cover crops (summer annuals). It does cost to plant the seed but a lot cheaper than the cost hay. As far as planting and spraying that corn field was done in less than 4 hours. So it really is a big deal on time for the pay back. Corn actually will not put weight on faster it usually is a low quality forage. Compared to some of the legumes and cool season grasses. With the price of fertilizer this year we will not be planting corn. Only cover crops. On my small land if a didn't plant the summer annuals I would have to decrease my herd size to the point where I would have to work off the farm.
@hamzaahadaf4399 2 жыл бұрын
Permaculture
@RussWilson 2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching!!
@greggmcclelland8430 2 жыл бұрын
The youtube also just recommended your channel so I subscribed. You answered a lot of questions i have had about cattle feeding throughout the year. I was wondering what herbicide you used on the corn if you are not using hybrid roundup ready corn. Are you concerned about herbicide carryover? I am starting on this cow ranching journey coming off hybrid soybeans following hybrid corn on a new 13 acre field. It was so late in the year I drilled winter wheat in the soybeans and am planning to frost seed red and white clover with duo festulolium. My goal in this first summer is to build soil while I get the perimeter fence and water installed. I plan to put animals on it in the spring of next year. Since I am planting cool season forage, the corn planting is very interesting to me to get through july and august. If I am successful with this i will try to expand by renting as the herd grows. This year I am planning to mow the field down to 6 inches in early june and again in early September.
@RussWilson 2 жыл бұрын
I'm glad youtube suggested the channel. Thanks for Subscribing!! I use round-up shortly before we plant the cornfield. Roundup doesn't have a carryover. Sometimes it's best to give the field a sabbatical. Your plan is a solid plan. If you need any help let me know!
Russ Wilson
Рет қаралды 34 М.
Minnesota NRCS
Рет қаралды 55 М.
Russ Wilson
Рет қаралды 8 М.