@TheGleaner;    what do you already have  for haying equipment?     Couple guys  around here  used their  self propelled  disk conditioner  with  pretty fair results.    
They knew they were going to do this  @ combining,  so  they  turned the spreader off,  and     then only  'mowed'  the  center   rows.   

Edit;    KNOW/understand   the  effects of  growing corn on marginal ground,  THEN removing  the  stalks! 
Feeding it  back on the same ground  helps.