Nebraska expert suggests cattle for late harvest

LINCOLN, Neb. — Farmers or cattle producers who have unharvested corn standing in the way of their planting preparations for 2010 may consider letting animals do the work.

Bruce Anderson is a University of Nebraska-Lincoln forage specialist. He says cattle can get into a snow-covered field much earlier than large harvest equipment.

Cattle can graze on fallen ears, too.

Anderson says producers should consider feeding cattle some corn before letting them into the cornfields. That’s so the animals can adapt to a diet higher in grain.

He also suggests using electric fences that can be easily repositioned, limiting the cattle to only a day’s worth of feed at a time.

Tags: farm, agriculture, livestock, corn