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Jim

Posted 12/21/2010 12:34 (#1498731)
Subject: Opened up grazing corn in the snow (pics)

Driftless SW Wisconsin

Well, I did the annual driving-down-my-corn bit (always reminds me of that line from field of dreams "He mowed his corn!") and put up the first divider wires just as a heavy snow started yesterday. I had to use the tractor to make a path for the cross wire rather than the Ranger since the snow had drifted fairly deep.

The corn is still standing and held its ears up amazingly well especially given all the winds we've had. I took a side view of the stand which is not bad even though the turkeys took their cut on the outside rows. I peeled the husk back on an ear in the foreground to show what corn is in these strip tilled continuous (6 years?) corn on corn rows.

I had to use rebar posts for the divider wire and a 4 lb hammer to get them in but not too bad. This year I set up the corn differently in long, narrow strips with semi-permanent single wire electric fence along both sides and an entrance in the center. This way I will be driving down less corn than with the larger rectangular fields I tried erarlier.

Gradually I will move the cross wires farther away from the center entrance exposing more ears. I may let the cows in once most of the grain/ears are gone to clean up the stalks and use up less purchased hay. We'll see how it goes.

I got the first corn patch setup, got the weaning steer and heifer calves in the corral, sorted the steers and one non retained heifer into the lane for the corn while left the retained weaning heifers on hay only.

Unwrapped and put out a fresh bale in a feed ring for the corn group just so they can transition to the grazing corn gradually. By then it was snowing so hard the steers did not check out the corn right away - the corn entrance is some distance from the bale and water - and I had to leave but here are some pictures.

As they go through this bale I think I will gradually cut back on the hay. They will hit the corn when they get hungry. Grazing ear corn is something new to them and this year there are not older animals in the corn to show them the ropes. FWIW, here are some pictures from yesterday. Steers 7710 and 4010 pictured had actual weights right around 700 lb on 11/15 so are probably around 750 now as they start on corn on 12/20.

Another heck of a snowstorm in W WI.

Jim at Dawn

Edited by Jim 12/21/2010 12:49