Farm country problems - grain vs silage corn

[j-bird]

I'm hoping that the wide scope this forum reaches I can find some folks who have some experience in what I am going to be looking at.

In my area we have one of the largest dairy farms in the state....and they are nearly doubling their size. As such lots of corn has been and will be cut for silage/chop. My area is grossly dominated with corn and soybeans fields, but it's grown for the grain, not the forage. As such come fall harvest fields are left with combine thrash and spilled or missed grain that provides food for deer and other critters. With the expansion of the dairy down the road they have placed a premium on silage corn and many farmers in my area are getting on board. This means those fields will be harvested to the point that what is left is bare dirt and a couple inch talk corn stalks sticking up out of the ground. This isn't going to leave much food left for the critters. I also know they will be injecting manure into those fields which even further makes the field bare dirt. I look for some farmers to plant a cover crop of winter wheat and radish, but not all will. This may help with the food issue and get deer more familiar with radish (my deer almost refuse to eat it currently).

Has anyone out there had or have experience in how fields used for silage has affected or impacted how the deer use the area?

I'm not overly concerned as long as cover crops are used and I know there will still be fields grown for grain, but because of the scale this change will have and if cover crops are not used - I can see this having an impact on a localized scale.....and it just has me thinking.

 

[sagittarius]

I'm not overly concerned as long as cover crops are used and I know there will still be fields grown for grain, but because of the scale this change will have and if cover crops are not used - I can see this having an impact on a localized scale.....and it just has me thinking.

So there will be less fall/winter food available for deer. When the deer get desperate enough they will eat radish, or any other food source, as the are forced to eat lower and lower on the preference scale. On the positive side, If you plant late season foodplots, you should see increased deer activity after silage is harvested.

 

[Gator]

I don't see the grain waste that people talk about so frequently with corn harvest. These Indiana farmers still driving combines from the 70s or something? Around me, the field is empty of any spilled grain within a week easily.

 

[j-bird]

I don't see the grain waste that people talk about so frequently with corn harvest. These Indiana farmers still driving combines from the 70s or something? Around me, the field is empty of any spilled grain within a week easily.

Some farmers and their equipment are better than others. I will agree that harvest efficiency has greatly improved and what is left/missed in the field is far less than it was 20 years ago.....however there is still some. Maybe I'm over-thinking it.....I just am very fearful of potentially 100's of acres of bare dirt that could be rather widespread in my area. One could argue that my plots and my grain production fields could become even a greater draw under that situation should farmers not plant cover crops as well. it's just change beyond my control and I'm not sure what impact it will have.

 

[Chainsaw]

The choppers used to be much smaller in row capacity which caused the second trucks to drive into standing corn to make room at times. Now the choppers are much larger so the trucks can pass each other and there is even less wasted corn.Still corn misses the trucks on some turns though so some can get left. Without cover crops the chopped fields do turn very barren. However more and more dairy guys here are planting cover crops in recent years. The science and trend is for more and more cover crop planting so I'd expect it is likely. About the biggest difference is that the choppers chop a few weeks or more ahead of the combines which takes all of those fields out of the cover equation thus making cover more of a premium. I think preparing for the change in your area with strong cover is worth considering.

As far as deer population with half using combines (complete guess) and half chopping here, the deer population does not seem to hinge on chopping versus combining. And as mentioned there is a huge variance in the amount of waste from one farmer to another. One of our farmers combining was leaving on average 18 kernels per square ft. whereas the one before him was leaving three or less.

 

[Buckly]

In my area , all corn is chopped as there are no corn seed producers. The deer are fine but, it's all I've ever known. This makes having plots on your property a golden opportunity. The fields are chopped from now until the end of November. The deer move to the woods and the plots as no cover crops are planted. Then the timing co-insides with the rut. It's a beautiful thing.

 

[MarkDarvin]

About the biggest difference is that the choppers chop a few weeks or more ahead of the combines which takes all of those fields out of the cover equation thus making cover more of a premium. I think preparing for the change in your area with strong cover is worth considering.

That's what I was thinking.

1. Cover disappears faster
2. Food disappears faster
3. Less chance of standing corn during season means more deer getting shot.

 

[Mennoniteman]

Corn chopped for silage is only cut in a semi-green stage and will all be off in the next week or so in zones 5, 6, & 7. Corn left standing into late October and November will be shelled for grain, with the rundown dry fodder left in the field. Silage cutting leaves very little kernels dropped for deer but most modern farmers will seed a cover crop after silage due to the earlier harvest, and cover crop seed being cheaper than the equivalent fertilizer in the spring. Shelled corn will typically leave some kernels behind for deer, but often no cover crop will be seeded due to the late harvest. My first choice would be to hunt in silage corn areas because deer won't be bedding in cornfields all fall, your food plots are a better attractant, and the rye cover crops keep the herd healthy in late winter after hunting season. A bigger farm operator or a laidback one may leave the last corn shelling until almost new year, with the deer herd living in the cornfield, creating an undesirable situation for food plot and woods hunters.

 

[X-farmerdan]

Thoughtful points by all. Seems to me there's a big unknown in Decatur County, Indiana. Now, I've not looked extensively at the statistics, but the county seems like atypical dairy country. Usually where you see lots of corn silage you'll find lots of alfalfa and other grass and mixed forages. I didn't see so much of that here. Cut the corn and the deer wonder off into the other forage fields. I'm not sure what the right distance might be, but an inventory of food and cover in a reasonable range might be helpful. Figure out whats lacking and fill the void as much as you can.
https://nassgeodata.gmu.edu/CropScape/

 

[j-bird]

Thoughtful points by all. Seems to me there's a big unknown in Decatur County, Indiana. Now, I've not looked extensively at the statistics, but the county seems like atypical dairy country. Usually where you see lots of corn silage you'll find lots of alfalfa and other grass and mixed forages. I didn't see so much of that here. Cut the corn and the deer wonder off into the other forage fields. I'm not sure what the right distance might be, but an inventory of food and cover in a reasonable range might be helpful. Figure out whats lacking and fill the void as much as you can.
https://nassgeodata.gmu.edu/CropScape/

View attachment 9750

You are correct Dan.....we don't have a lot of hay production in my area, we are mostly grain farms and confined hog operations. For some reason however some folks from Denmark came over and started a dairy (nice enough folks)..... The dairy is now nearly doubling it's capacity (total of 2400 head) and as such has put a big demand and premium price on silage where my specific area farmers can't walk away from. "It's low risk and damn good money" as it was explained to me.....you know how farmers beat around the bush! This is going to put an interesting spin on farming (land use) in my immediate area (the dairy is literally less than 5 miles from me). They started chopping a few weeks ago and it's been non-stop ever since. We have grain combines running as well in the area so the landscape is changing quickly. The limiting habitat factor is cover - the state only considers 24% of the land as deer habitat in my county. However my hands are tied in providing more cover due to financial aspects.....tough to walk away from roughly $15K additional household income from renting the tillable. I'm just curious what others have seen regarding silage.....the fact that it will push deer into the woods is good for hunting. The use or non-use of cover crops will have an interesting affect as well. It may, may, affect the amount of beans grown as well and affect summer forages as well. In any case this is about as big of a regional impact I could imagine and it's going to be interesting.

 

[Turkey Creek]

I understand the income thing, but 2 points to that, you can always include in the rental that x number of rows will be left for wildlife and you subtract the avg yield/ acre from the rental for crop left in the field off our tenets rent next year. Also if alfalfa is in short supply you could consider coming up with a contract with the dairy for some acres, plant to alfalfa "X" acres which means you have a permanent food plot. Again I would be looking at this from the approach that makes your place the most attractive farm to deer while still paying you.

 

[swat1018]

I have a dairy 2 miles from me, milking 3-4 thousand head. They chop silage, as well, but it won't take thousands of acres. They may chop 400-500 acres. Usually they chop corn, inject manure, then plant triticale, chop it in the spring and plant late corn for silage. I found it's better habitat, because they usually have triticale growing in the hardest part of winter, versus fall plowed dirt following conventional corn.

I'd be more concerned about all the fall plowing than silage chopping.