Cornstalk baling

[HayDR]

Yes it hard on any baler but many farmers do bale cornstalks. I wonder if you corn stalk baling harvesters use your own equipment or hire it out?
What Are Corn Stalk Bales Worth? | Beef Magazine

 

[Tx Jim]

I've baled corn stalks with my baler during yrs of drought. I baled 650 bales of stalks last yr with my '05 JD 467 rd baler that has over 26,000 bales on the monitor. It baled over 1000 grass hay only bales this yr.

 

[ovrszd]

Sounds like a very well kept machine Jim.

 

[5030]

I too have baled cornstalks but only out of necessity. Bailing combined cornstalks is a dirty, nasty job, hard on the equipment and hard on you. I guess if you like filth, cornstalks are ok. No need this year, plenty of hay.

 

[Hay Dude]

I won't do it unless it was absolutely necessary. It was offered to me 3 years ago and I turned it down.

 

[oosik]

Hmmm - never heard of baling corn stalks. Probably because corn is not a major crop in this area. Those who do have corn fields just seem to disk the stubble.

I wonder - how does baled cornstalks rate as livestock feed. Compared to field grass hay.

What makes baling corn stalks such a nasty job and hard on equipment?

 

[Tx Jim]

oosik
Amount of dirt in raked stalks & size of the stalks is very hard on baler belts & tractor/baler tires. Plus dirt/stalks are very abrasive on pickup attachment teeth & inside of baler. I've heard some stalks test 6-7% CP but for cattle they sure beat a snowball . When feeding stalks it a large challenge to get net off the bale because when one cuts net the stalk bale explodes!!! In corn belt a lot of baled stalks are utilized for animal bedding.

 

[oosik]

Thank you for the reply & info Tx Jim. Up here we don't have the huge fields to bale corn stalks. At least, I've never seen any baled stalks.

 

[cqaigy2]

I've not seen baled corn stalks either. I thought it was usually chopped and packed into a big plastic bag, for silage i'm guessing.

 

[Tx Jim]

You're welcome. IIRC Vermeer makes a "Corn stalk special" baler specifically for baling stalks.

 

[5030]

You're welcome. IIRC Vermeer makes a "Corn stalk special" baler specifically for baling stalks.

So does Hew Holland, 'Silage Special'. Irregardless, it's a nasty dirty operation.

 

[oosik]

cqaigy2 - I think those fancy purple silos are for silage. I've seen one purple silo about 20 miles NW of me. Guy must have something worth putting in there. I've also heard that the purple ones are very expensive. They are kind of like a vertical thermos jug.

 

[5030]

Purple ones are ceramic coated 'Harvestore' brand and they aren't produced today and yes, the were for wet silage. Poly wrapped sileage bales supplanted the need for vertical storage a while ago.

 

[5030]

Yes it hard on any baler but many farmers do bale cornstalks. I wonder if you corn stalk baling harvesters use your own equipment or hire it out?
What Are Corn Stalk Bales Worth? | Beef Magazine

Not worth a fiddlers dam to me.

 

[Tx Jim]

So does Hew Holland, 'Silage Special'. Irregardless, it's a nasty dirty operation.

Silage special & Corn stalk special aren't in the same class. Most corn stalks are baled after grain harvest so it would surprise me if stalks had enough moisture in them for silage use. I didn't see corn stalks mentioned on New Holland's AG web site but I might have over looked it.

 

[Tx Jim]

Not worth a fiddlers dam to me.

If you were experiencing a drought & owned cattle I'll bet you'd change your mind!!!!

 

[Tx Jim]

Not worth a fiddlers dam to me.

If you were experiencing a drought & owned cattle I'll bet you'd change your mind!!!! Corn stalks helped mine & many other Texas cattle survive last Winter

 

[ovrszd]

Not worth a fiddlers dam to me.

How many head of cattle do you Winter?

 

[5030]

If you were experiencing a drought & owned cattle I'll bet you'd change your mind!!!! Corn stalks helped mine & many other Texas cattle survive last Winter

I'm sure they did. We aren't in that situation. If anything, too much precip here. All I'm saying is simply that bailing corn stalks is hard on a baler and hard on the 'bailee' as well. Bailing combined stalks is nasty all the way around, something I can avoid. if we had a drought however, I would but not the case here. One thing about stalks is, there is a lot of sugars in them.

 

[5030]

How many head of cattle do you Winter?

30 on one farm and 30 on the other. Not a big operation but then everything is bigger in Texas...