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MN | Puff, that is exactly what I am suggesting. Because land has gotten too expensive to have in pasture. Not much beats DM per acre with corn. Along with the advantages of higher feed produced per acre, you have less waste. Also, growing corn for either grain or silage you can used subsidized crop insurance on those acres. This is one of the main reasons we are seeing pastures plowed up... Guaranteed revenue. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. In my opinion, that is what we are going to see if we are going to see an expansion in the cow herd. Use of by products, like in my area, beat pulp, corn stalks, sweet corn silage, DDGS.... Because no one is going to put 200+ bu corn ground into pasture. And even in marginal areas like SD, 125 bu corn ground is still waaaaay easier and waaaaaay less risky than raising cattle. So, in order for cow/calf guys to expand I believe we need to see more intensive management. Just don't think we can count on cheap grass land to produce our calves anymore, there is just too much demand for the grain those acres can produce.
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What it would take to make cattle appealing
