Corn harvest is just a few weeks away for those picking high moisture corn and with dry conditions and heat, traditional harvest may start sooner than what is typical. With severe drought conditions impacting large portions of the state, forage production on rangeland and pasture has been significantly reduced. Hay production has also been impacted by the drought, leading to yields that in many places are only a third to half of the long-term average and in some places farther west even less. This means for many cow-calf producers, there will be very little fall and winter grazing available. Hay also will be in short supply. Corn residue grazing, especially on irrigated pivots, is going to be in high demand. In fact, demand for corn residue grazing will exceed supply in many locations.
While forage prices are high, corn prices are currently near the cost of production. When both forage and other feed options are considered, corn in many cases is the most economical energy source available for feeding the cow herd. This sets up a scenario where purposefully leaving some corn standing in the field to be gleaned directly by the cows while also grazing residue could be a way to significantly increase the number of grazing days a field could provide.
A rule of thumb is that for every 100 bushels of corn yield that is in a field, there are approximately 25-30 grazing days available of husks and leaves for 1300-pound cows. However, if with corn residue, cows are given 11 pounds of corn per day of standing grain through strip grazing, the number of days of feed available could be increased by 1.5 to 2 times. In this situation, the harvested area of residue needed could be allocated along with a daily delivered strip of standing corn. In addition, a supplement could be provided daily in a pound or more of a feed that contains the ionophore monensin along with vitamins, minerals, and additional protein. Under these conditions, supplementing non-protein nitrogen in the form of urea would be an option to meet rumen degradable protein needs of the cows, as the microbes in the rumen could effectively utilize the nitrogen with the readily available energy from the corn.
Cows coming out of drought-stressed pastures are likely going to be thin and would benefit greatly from this type of feeding scenario to gain weight going into the fall and winter and put on body condition prior to calving. Having corn standing in the field also provides a readily available feed resource that will stick out above the snow should the winter bring much needed precipitation. Cow owners could calculate how much corn will be needed and buy bushels of standing corn by the acre from the farmer they rent corn stalks from.
The Economics of Leaving Strips of Standing
When considering the economics of grazing strips of standing corn with residue, there are several questions that need to be asked.
- What is the cost of the next alternative feed option of comparable quality delivered to the cow compared to grazing standing corn and residue in the fall or winter?
- What are the benefits of reduced expenses by harvesting standing strips of the crop with cattle versus combining and hauling the grain? For example, the 2026 Nebraska Agricultural Custom Rates report states harvesting irrigated corn is $0.32 per bushel and hauling is $0.15 per bushel for a total of $0.47 per bushel or $94 per acre for harvesting costs if the crop yields 200 bushels per acre.
- What is the value of grazing and recycling nutrients being consumed from grain and stover back on the field as fertilizer (manure and urine) at today’s prices? Around 0.70 lb of nitrogen, 0.31 lb of phosphate, and 0.27 lb of potassium and 0.6 lbs of sulphur are in one bushel (56 lb) of corn grain.
Quick math for an irrigated corn crop grazed in the fall and winter with dry cows.
A 200-bushel corn crop at $5.00per bushel and corn residue grazing at $35 per acre generates a gross value of $1035 per acre.
Gross Value per Acre of Grain Harvest and Grazing Residue $1035
Reduced Harvest Expense of not Combining and Hauling Corn ($94)
Estimated Value of Corn Grain Nutrients Retained (30% of N, 80% of P,K,S) ($110)
Value per Acre of Standing Corn to Equal the Value of Crop After Credits $831
$831 per Acre / 200 Bushel Corn = $4.16 per Bushel or about $0.07 per Pound of Corn
Cow Cost Costs per Day
11 pounds of corn at $0.07 per pound = $0.77
20 pounds of residue at $0.02 per pound = $0.40
2 pounds per day of protein/mineral/ionophore = $0.50
Total feed per day per cow = $1.67
Spring calving cows with calves having been weaned would be estimated to be gaining around 1.5 pounds per head per day on this feed plan. The old saying, “The eye of the master fattens the ox” applies to this situation. The amount of area needed will vary depending on cow body condition, residue in the field and weather as grazing progresses. For comparison, providing cows an average grass hay at $200 per ton, having a TDN energy value of 55% and crude protein at 8%, along with 3 pounds per head per day of a DDG cube at $375 per ton, would have similar performance and cost about $3.75 per head per day.
What are the Logistics?
How could this work? Let’s assume an irrigated cornfield with a 200-bushel yield. If the farmer harvests all the corn on an acre, there are approximately 50 to 60 days of grazing per acre of husks and leaves for one 1300-pound cow. If in addition to residue, 11 pounds of standing corn is targeted to be allocated per day per cow, 1/1000 of an acre of 200-bushel corn yield would provide the desired amount of grain. If corn is planted on 30-inch rows, 17 feet, five inches is 1/1000th of an acre. For 100 cows, being allocated 11 pounds per day of 200-bushel corn, 0.1 acres of standing corn is needed. If the 100 cows are provided with 20 pounds of leaves and husk to go along with the corn, approximately 1 acre of harvested corn residue should meet this need along with the corn husk and leaf available from the grazed standing corn. Because of the corn being supplied, cows can be expected to eat a greater percentage of the corn residue in the field, utilizing more of the cobs and corn plant tops and still achieve acceptable performance. This level of residue utilization is greater than what would be targeted if only corn residue without grain was being grazed. Cows should be worked up to 11 pounds of corn over a 7-to-10-day period, increasing the amount of corn the cows are consuming daily to reduce the risk of acidosis.
Strategic planning of where standing corn strips are to be left in the field in relation to the water source and prevailing wind can help make the most of this opportunity. After harvest, when standing corn strips are left, calculate the area needed daily for the allocation of standing corn and use a tractor with a front-end loader or a UTV to lay down alleys. This allows for building temporary fence across standing corn rows so cows can see the wire and keep standing corn from being knocked down into the temporary electric fence.
In terms of fencing for strip grazing, quality geared reels with polywire or braid, step in posts, and solar chargers are tools that are beneficial to make this practice effective. This scenario is also one that would lend itself well to the use of virtual fence technology. The outside traditional boundary electric fence would still be needed, but cows could be moved internally with virtual fence collars, being given the desired amount of standing corn and harvested corn residue daily.
The thought of purposefully leaving strips of standing corn in the field for cows to graze directly may be a bit of a mental stretch for both the farmer and cow owner. However, with current prices for corn and the market value of limited hay and other forages, it looks to be one of the most cost-effective options available for putting weight on cows, stretching corn residue resources and getting cows fed through this fall and winter.
