Corn Stalk Grazing: A Matter of Economics

The United States Department of Agriculture’s January 1, 2007 “Cattle Inventory” report indicated that there were 1,940,000 beef cows that have calved in Nebraska. In another USDA report titled “Crops Planted, Harvested, Yield, Production, Price (MYA), Value of Production” it was estimated that there will be 9,000,000 acres of corn harvested in 2007. These numbers indicate the potential opportunity to graze cattle on corn stalk residue in Nebraska is huge. With corn harvest nearing completion and weaning time for many producers happening this month, farmers and ranchers are likely to be negotiating the terms of agreements to graze these corn stalks residuals