Don’t Waste Your Corn Cobs
Posted: July 30, 2009
Corn cobs aren’t just for pipes anymore. Now we’re seeing some real interest in utilizing them for a variety of purposes and for farmers that could mean extra income. You might think cellulosic ethanol production first but look at this list of other uses for cobs:
livestock feed supplement for mixed rations, livestock and pet animal bedding, blending cobs with coal to co-generate electricity, gasification to create several types of energy for industrial processes, and other industrial applications including construction materials, abrasives and absorbents
Harvesting corn cobs take some specialized equipment like this new cob harvester from Vermeer. It’s actually a system that tows behind a corn harvesting combine to collect and unload the cobs.
Farmers today are becoming more and more efficient and finding ways to better utilize our natural resources including the ones they grow.
Ed Said,
October 15, 2009 @ 1:29 pm
Seed corn cobs are an excellent feedstock. Cobs are harvested early, dried with uniform moisture and quality. Cobs in NE make excellent feed rations with Ethanol By-products for feedlot cattle. Combines harvesting commercial corn is a possibility, but with the late fall harvest, timing is everything. USDA FSA has a program that pays for cobs to a certified processor. That program is $ for $ payments. Cobs can even processed into fertilizer, biofuels, plastics, furfural, used for mulching and production of mushrooms. There is much discussion of removing biomass from the land due to water and soil conservation and value of organic matter residues.