Standing Cornstalks - your methods?
Whitetail Deer
I know we have lots of food plot experts here and I was curious what you guys do to remove your stalks left over from standing corn plots?
In the past, I've run them over with a bushhog, but it's not very efficient since the stalks lay over on the ground and are not pulverized, making additional work. I'm looking for a better method - shy of bringing in a harvester.
could a controlled burn work?
Few passes with a disc on a dry spring day maybe? Not one of those 4 wheeler sized discs though.
A skid steer with a brush hog attachment will work. If you go slow it will eat the stalks up pretty well. We do a lot of right of way mowing with skid steers where I work and we've cut through standing corn before.
Flail mower sounds like it might be the thing to use. Haven't ever used one, but sounds like if it will chop up brush, it should do it to the stalks.
Not sure if I want to see any of your “farm implements”, Nedly!
A stalk chopper does about the best job of cutting up and pulverizing the corn stalks. It’s almost the same thing as a flail mower. A heavy disc works fairly well, but sometimes takes 2-3 passes to get them chewed up. I’ve used a brush mower, and it works better if you go over the stalks backwards, but, as you noted, it pushes the stalks flat and they don’t get chopped up all that well.
I’ve burned them off with varying degrees of success. I’ve also wind rowed the stalks by dragging the field with my cultimulcher with the spring tooth teeth down. I go until it gets plugged up pretty good, then raise it up. I’ve done the same thing with my field cultivator. After I get the stalks all wind rowed, I’ll burn them up, preferably on a warm, dry, windy day.
I know several guys that won’t plant corn, due to the hassle of dealing with the stalks, but, IMO, the benefits of corn as a food source for the deer/turkeys/etc far outweigh the hassle.
One other note: the stalks seem to get broken down better if you use whatever method you choose, after a few days of dry weather (low humidity). They seem to be way more brittle and shatter more easily.
Last year I used my brush hog, and then my tiller. Seemed to work pretty well. However, I don't have all of the equipment that you have......and you're about due for a new toy....it's probably been at least 60 days since you've purchased something substantial. You must be going through withdrawal by now. Nedly's ideas won't work.....they make a mess, and they could cost you a house....or more.....but I've heard that they make great videos.
Don't know about standing dry corn stocks all winter, but back in the day during fall the old pickers would knock the stock over about a foot or so of the ground while sifting the corn and cob off the stem so then stocks and leafed blades lying on the ground would start to break down by spring plowing and planting season and by summer you'd rarely see any remnants from last years harvest...
Remember once while bowhunting late January watch a mature buck feeding over these downed stocks picking off the those nasty dirty mud soaked leaf blades and chewing it down like he was eating a salad... Couldn't believe it at the time he was eating that soggy nasty stuff... Today's clean farming with their high tech machines leave little left overs for the critters...
I know Pat you're leaving it standing for the deer, but maybe at this time of year or actually earlier take a tractor or something as others mentioned and run over the rows to knock it down and now let nature takes it's course and start to break it down for ya...
Ned, I'm already familiar with your stalking issues, there's a video of your technique over on cornhub.com. It's a little grainy but...
Leaving stalks a foot tall provides good gripping. signing out now
I’d highly suggest that neither one of you guys give up your “day” jobs.....
Zbone....I generally mow or knock down all of my standing corn by December. It is pretty slow to break down.
Bushhog then plow under. Nedly keep your implements in the barn.
We've always used the bush hog and disc...mainly because that's all we have! That said, our corn plot is less than six acres....so doesn't take long to clear it.
You "deer farmers" are a hoot!
Buddy of mine works a local vegetable farm. They plant about 15 or 20 acres of sweet corn spaced a couple weeks apart. At season's end he brush hogs all of it then discs the field chopping it in. Then they plant rye as a cover crop.
I read the title and immediately thought of Bowhunting October Whitetails and how they hunted standing corn when it was windy. :0) I loved those films!
Most farms in my area cut and bail them for cattle bedding. TODDY
High speed disc. One pass and ready to plant beans. 2 passes and you’re ready to plant small seed crops.
They are pricey and require a ton of hp.
Otherwise... disc as early as possible as long as it’s not wet. Discing wet ground in the Spring and you’ll have clods. Get a good rain.... and hit it again. Run a Field cultivator through it and you should be ready to go.
High speed disc. One pass and ready to plant beans. 2 passes and you’re ready to plant small seed crops.
They are pricey and require a ton of hp.
Otherwise... disc as early as possible as long as it’s not wet. Discing wet ground in the Spring and you’ll have clods. Get a good rain.... and hit it again. Run a Field cultivator through it and you should be ready to go.
I always used a brush hog and disc. Works for me.
Have you tried a combine?
Yea what One Arrow said..... get yourself an 8 or 10ft K-Line Speedtiller!
Thanks guys, I will probably stick with my existing equipment and just plan on cutting and making a few extra passes with my 12’ disker. It’s got plenty of weight.
He!!, I'd run that big arse thing over them standing stocks now knocking them down and chopping up the stocks and left over corn on the cobs.... Critters would luv it...
No corn planted this year. My ? Is for my spring planting
