“The turkey’s on fire!”

That was how I was greeted at my parents’ house on Thanksgiving minutes before the rest of our family was supposed to arrive. No, the bird in the oven was not up in flames. Rather, a thick cloud of smoke was suddenly billowing from the back end of the cornstalk bale dressed up like a turkey and on display in the front yard.

Apparently, in the midst of the chaos that is preparing Thanksgiving dinner, my mother shifted gears from cooking mode to cleaning mode to get the house ready for company. Shoving every paper towel, produce sack, and empty stuffing box into the garbage, she cinched up the trash bag and whisked it off to the burn barrel in the southwest corner of our property along the edge of a cornfield.

Mom lit a match, flicked it in the burn barrel, and hurried back to the kitchen to finish preparing the real turkey before the first of our guests pulled in the driveway. She didn’t think twice about the westerly wind blowing toward the cornstalk turkey that was sitting several yards away, or the potential for a gust to carry a spark in that direction, which is exactly what happened.

No sooner had I stepped foot in the kitchen than a bucket of water was shoved in my hands and I was pushed back out the door. We transformed into a makeshift fire crew, taking turns to fill more water buckets and run them out to the cornstalk turkey in hopes of salvaging the outdoor holiday decor. Luckily, the small blaze did not turn into a more serious fire, and the burning was contained within a few minutes. However, the cornstalk turkey did, in fact, meet its match and was left to smolder into a heap of ash as we made our way back inside.

Keep bales covered

Even before this experience, I would have contended that cornstalk bales have better uses than being decorated as giant birds. Especially in drought years, baled corn residue can be a valuable forage source to bolster feed inventories and stretch hay supplies that were cut short due to limited plant growth in dry pastures and hayfields. Although grazing corn residue may be the more cost-effective approach, doing so is not always feasible for every farmer or in every field.

According to Iowa State University Extension specialists, cornstalks should be baled within four weeks of corn harvest to realize their full feeding potential. Given the timely row-crop harvest reported throughout the Midwest, that window of optimal baling opportunity is likely narrowing, if it hasn’t already come to a close. But for those who did hop out of the combine and into the baler with the intention of feeding cornstalks to cattle, there are ways to maximize the feed value and utilization of those bales this winter.

Proper storage is a key to preserve the already limited forage quality of cornstalk bales, which should have been made at 15% moisture or less to avoid mold development. Similar to hay bales, storing cornstalk bales in a barn is the best option to minimize weathering, and thus, dry matter losses. If bales are kept outside, cover them. Moreover, keep bales on a base of pallets, tires, lime, or even a layer of cornstalks to prevent net wrap from freezing to the ground and breaking open when they are moved.

Iowa State University research shows cornstalk bales stored under a roof boasted a 3% dry matter loss, whereas bales stored outside without cover had 9% dry matter loss, which will start to climb the longer bales are exposed to the elements. In fact, the extension specialists add that forage deterioration occurs rapidly after roughly 120 days of outside storage when temperatures start to rise in late winter and early spring.

You’ll need to supplement

When it comes to feeding, Mary Drewnoski with University of Nebraska Extension points out that cornstalk bales do not offer the same nutrition as residue that is grazed in a field. The beef systems specialist explains that the former feedstuff is typically lower quality due to a higher ratio of stalks to husks and leaves.

Even though cows still tend to sort for husks and leaves, thus selecting a diet that is higher quality than what is inherently offered in the bale feeder or feedbunk, the time it takes to do so will limit their intake. In other words, cows may be consuming relatively good-quality forage per bite, but they probably won’t eat enough to meet their daily requirements. Therefore, feeding cornstalk bales may warrant a more serious approach to supplemental feeding.

Energy and protein requirements can be met in a combination of ways, and Drewnoski suggests two options are to make a mixed ration with ground cornstalks and a concentrate feed like dried distillers grains or to limit-feed alfalfa hay in addition to offering cornstalk bales. In the latter case, limit-feeding alfalfa should reduce hay waste compared to giving free-choice hay, which can help stretch limited hay supplies further. With that said, Drewnoski says just providing a protein tub to supplement corn residue will not be sufficient to meet cows’ needs.

Be sure to test nitrate levels of baled cornstalks, especially when bale feeding is prompted by a drought-induced forage shortage. Dry growing conditions heighten the risk of high nitrates, which can be further amplified if cornstalk bales are ground up to be included in a mixed ration. High test results may limit the amount of corn residue that can be safely included.