Comments on: Mythological Grass-Fed Beast http://corncommentary.com/2010/01/28/mythological-grass-fed-beast/ A blog about family farmers, America's corn growers Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:08:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Daryl R. Pring http://corncommentary.com/2010/01/28/mythological-grass-fed-beast/comment-page-1/#comment-3767 Daryl R. Pring Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:11:28 +0000 http://corncommentary.com/?p=3203#comment-3767 Bob, your grandfather (and my father) was probably feeding a lot of corn kernels with that silage. Optimum silage harvest historically (no later than the mid 1950's) is 40-45 days after pollination, when kernels are indeed beginning to mature. This coincides with probable maximum total digestible nutrient levels. And, when Dad's cattle got "out", they headed straight for corn ears or alfalfa, but not the oats or wheat or soybeans. Bob, your grandfather (and my father) was probably feeding a lot of corn kernels with that silage. Optimum silage harvest historically (no later than the mid 1950’s) is 40-45 days after pollination, when kernels are indeed beginning to mature. This coincides with probable maximum total digestible nutrient levels. And, when Dad’s cattle got “out”, they headed straight for corn ears or alfalfa, but not the oats or wheat or soybeans.

]]> By: Bob Parkhurst http://corncommentary.com/2010/01/28/mythological-grass-fed-beast/comment-page-1/#comment-3758 Bob Parkhurst Fri, 29 Jan 2010 05:50:03 +0000 http://corncommentary.com/?p=3203#comment-3758 <i>The claims of food naturalists about the grass-fed beef cattle of yesteryear may be somewhat mythological.</i> And then again, maybe not. My Grandfather fed corn to his dairy cows, but it wasn't kernels of yellow No. 2 field corn -- it was green corn that had not yet developed ears chopped into silage, to be stored and fermented in his silos, and fed to his dairy cows as fodder. The green, plant part of corn IS a grass. Those ag journalists back in 1822 promoting corn may have been talking about the grass part of the corn plant as silage. Grass-fed beef could well be eating corn, but not eating corn kernels. The claims of food naturalists about the grass-fed beef cattle of yesteryear may be somewhat mythological.

And then again, maybe not. My Grandfather fed corn to his dairy cows, but it wasn’t kernels of yellow No. 2 field corn — it was green corn that had not yet developed ears chopped into silage, to be stored and fermented in his silos, and fed to his dairy cows as fodder.

The green, plant part of corn IS a grass. Those ag journalists back in 1822 promoting corn may have been talking about the grass part of the corn plant as silage.

Grass-fed beef could well be eating corn, but not eating corn kernels.

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