Thanks Rick and Dee for the replies. I think I see the issues here. You are both feeding corn silage but controlling the amount, not loading it into a silage wagon by the skid steer bucketful, free choice, every few days. 

I don't have sufficient bunk space, no TMR, etc.   I do not want to get into a twice a day feeding labor- and equipment-intensive system. Shoveling snow and ice out of 100-120 ft of outdoor feed bunks repeatedly through the winter is not a job I would look forward to. I want to feed primarily forages in a cow self-service system.

With dry hay or baleage I just set out the required number/weight of bales based on 2.5% of total cow weight per day based on the number of days I want between tractor start ups.

My comment on corn silage was based on my experience trying to use it free choice as I do hay or baleage. That does not work, the cows end up like balloons as they will gorge themselves on silage as long as there is some available. In a controlled amount/multiple but qty limited feedings/day system as you folks are using this gorging is not a problem. 

If I do use some bagged corn silage in the future it will be put out in a wagon every few days in a limited quantity as a supplement to lower energy hay only.  But the problem then becomes no one wants to come custom chop and bag a few acres of corn silage. And just used as a supplement like this it doesn't seem feasible for me to buy what chopping equipment I'd need plus hire a bagger...labor is also an issue.  I like being able to run my system with one 95 hp open station, paid for tractor.  Hay equipment is something you must have, imho, in this climate to manage pastures and put up winter feed even in a primarily rotational grazing system.

Grazing stalks is often suggested but I don't own a combine. There are times when I'd like to buy and restore a 6620 Side Hill but that would be more like the guys who buy/restore a '56 Chevy and take their wife to the drive-in ice cream place a couple times a year... ;-) a hobby. But not time for that.

Nor time for any more on here.

Thank you Rick and Dee and Garvo. I see what you are saying, but just not the way I want to go.  There are many ways to produce quality beef and (hopefully) produce an ROI doing it.

Dee, regarding waste, if I am using all dry hay I figure 3%/day to allow for some dropped/"waste" hay. With baleage I use 2.5% - there is almost zero waste, cows almost lick the ground clean.  In either case I don't really look at a minor amount of dropped hay as "waste". I pile it up after spring turn-out to compost, turn it once or twice and spread it in the fall on areas that need it.  Not a major time, labor or equipment issue and usually provides some great compost. I am going to pour some small concrete pads to put the bale feeders on all winter to minimize the spring mud and make this once a year clean up/compost piling easier.