Effect of Corn Harvest with a Chopping Head on Performance of Cattle Grazing Corn Residue

Abstract

Summary with Implications The effects of harvesting corn using a chopping vs a standard, non-chopping combine head on steer performance when grazing corn residue were evaluated. Steers were supplemented with dry distillers grains at 0.6% of initial body weight. The amount of corn residue mass and the quality of the husk did not differ between harvest methods. Steer gains were over twice as high in year 2 (2.10 lb/d) than year 1 (0.76 lb/d), potentially due to greater husk digestibility and milder winter conditions. Corn residue harvested with a standard combine head resulted in a slightly higher average daily gain (1.48 vs. 1.36 lb/d) compared to residue harvested with a chopping corn head. This performance difference is likely due to reduced husk mass and finer leaf particle size in chopped residue, which may have limited intake. While differences were modest, the data suggest that chopped residue may decrease grazing value