Grazing cornstalks at high stocking rates hurt beef-cow performance but not ensuing corn yields in a University of Nebraska study.
An irrigated cornfield was divided into 16-acre paddocks with four treatments that were maintained for four years: Heavy stocking, light stocking, baled and no residue removal.
In three years of data collection, corn yields were not significantly different among the treatments. But final cow body weights were 73 lbs higher, and body condition scores 0.3 greater, for the light stocking rate vs. the heavy one.