Farmers Cutting Corn For Silage Amid Drought
Associated Press - Wed 03:50 PM 07/11/2012
Parched fields hard hit by another season of drought and heat
More Kansas growers are cutting down their corn crops for silage to feed livestock as they struggle to salvage what they can from parched fields hard hit by another season of drought and heat.
Jere White, executive director of the Kansas Corn Growers Association, said Wednesday it is premature to get a handle yet on how much of the state's corn crop is going into silage this year, but says quite a bit of it is being cut. He says that is not a bad option under the circumstances.
The Kansas Agricultural Statistics Service reported this week that 43 percent of the state's corn crop is in poor to very poor condition.
White says he was not totally surprised by that estimate, but says it is "a staggering prediction."
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ksfarmdude
Wednesday 11 July 2012 15:57 Report this comment
gonna make for some high priced calves this fall because everyone will have all this silage to feed up also get ready for high beef prices too not a good thing
troy
Wednesday 11 July 2012 22:01 Report this comment
Was this corn for feeding cattle or for feeding ethanol plants. I understand the silage will feed cattle, just curious what % was originaly slated for the plants.
cjsmessage
Wednesday 11 July 2012 22:42 Report this comment
If there was corn...they would sell it first.... And then use the stalks for silage for the cattle...But it LOOKS LIKE there is no CORN so they are just cutting it for silage ...Which will in turn be a shortage of corn on the cob or any other uses there is...in the future!!!!
idoh82w84you
Thursday 12 July 2012 09:24 Report this comment
Dont scare the city folks. Farmers chop corn for silage every year whethere there's corn in it or not (and preferrably with). There will just be a little more than usual chopped this year. Corn on the cob and canned corn comes from sweet corn, not 'field' corn that farmers around here plant. Calves this fall may be cheaper to buy if there's less feed and pasture. Silage alone doesn't feed cattle.(whole grain corn, hay, milo... and pasture grass) Farmers may saturate the market if they dont have feed.