Chopping corn stalks

jacksonduper · Oct 19, 2012

Question for you guys. I'm chopping and baling corn stalks for the first time this fall to stretch my hay supply. I have chopped stalks in the past for others but I had a question. I will be chopping with a woods 10 foot rotary mower. My question is as follows. The custom operator that does my corn combined today in some light to moderate rain. I have a full time job off the farm and I happen to have off tommorow afternoon. will Imhurt anything to start cutting the stalks tommorow afternoon even though I'm sure they will be wet. I know I will not be able to rake and bale them for a few days but I so would like to start chopping them. Will it be a big pain in the butt or will it work o.. Thanks in advance.

Joe

JDseller · Oct 19, 2012

If you chop them while they are wet they may not ever dry out under the mat of material. The leaves will dry out OK but the stalk part will not dry as well. The bottom side of the stalks will hold moisture if they are laying flat on the ground. They will stay dry better standing. Then I would wait until they are dry to chop them. Especially since you are wanting to feed them. If they mold any at all the cattle will not eat them very well. If the stalk has much moisture in it they will mold.

After you bale them you need to get them under cover or even wrap them. They will wick up a lot of water if we have a rainy fall and early winter. When they get wet the palatability goes way down.

Anonymous-0 · Oct 19, 2012

I agree with JDseller. It seems once they are chopped and it rains, it takes forever for them to dry, but after chopping it seems to "fluff" them up and get air to them so they dry faster. We still have a couple thousand to bale and the weather isn"t helping us out. Harold

Chopping corn stalks

jacksonduper

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JDseller

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Anonymous-0

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