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Post by blackox on Jun 18, 2014 20:00:43 GMT -5
My dad's really been on me lately about growing sweet corn. I know that popcorn can be used as an animal feed (higher protein than "normal" corn, I feed it to the turkeys) but can sweet corn be used as animal feed (in either dry or fresh form)? I'd like to get as much use out of it as possible.
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Post by steev on Jun 18, 2014 21:23:48 GMT -5
Of course you can use it so. It's not commonly raised for that purpose, as it doesn't keep as well as other corns; can't use it for hominy. polenta, corn meal, masa, etc. So peasants never got into it as critter feed.
As a way to keep it for later use, 'chicos' is a good product; a very good addition to soups, stews, and beans.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Jun 18, 2014 22:01:14 GMT -5
I feed lots of sweet corn to animals, mostly poultry, both as fresh corn and as dried corn. I feed it whole not ground. Other types of corn dry more easily with less mold and insect problems, but any kind of drying rack that works for other corns also works with sweet corn. I even feed dried sweet corn to human animals.
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Post by RpR on Jun 19, 2014 13:03:56 GMT -5
My dad's really been on me lately about growing sweet corn. I know that popcorn can be used as an animal feed (higher protein than "normal" corn, I feed it to the turkeys) but can sweet corn be used as animal feed (in either dry or fresh form)? I'd like to get as much use out of it as possible. It would make great, though low bulk, silage. Squirrels, and birds, around here have been munching on cob dried sweet corn for a long time.
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Post by blackox on Jun 25, 2014 20:52:02 GMT -5
Thanks, looks like I now what I'll be growing next year. Just need to call the nextdoor death-farmer (GMO, heavy sprayer) to find out more about his corn to help prevent cross-pollination issues. I'm hoping that he won't become too suspicious as to why I'm asking, telling him that I'm working on a paper about corn genetics. Going to read up on GM corn to make it sound like I know what I'm saying, to earn his trust.
Since the only ruminants that we raise are goats I'm fairly certain that they can eat the stalks whole how they are. I will keep silage in mind though - who knows? We could end up with a herd of twenty cattle next week.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Jun 25, 2014 21:53:35 GMT -5
blackox: Be easier in my mind to be frank. "I want to grow corn and save seed..." "I think that your pollen is dangerous..." "When is your corn shedding pollen so that my crop won't be contaminated?" Or you could say that you want to time your sweet corn crop so that it doesn't get pollinated by his field corn.
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Post by raymondo on Jun 26, 2014 4:42:04 GMT -5
The last of Joseph's suggestions is perhaps the most diplomatic. Avoiding phrases like spawn of satan or beelzebub's batty boy is probably sensible
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Post by DarJones on Jun 26, 2014 7:52:51 GMT -5
Also the most palatable, he will know that sweet corn pollinated by field corn loses both sweetness and flavor.
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Post by blackox on Jun 27, 2014 18:24:46 GMT -5
I was planning a similar approach at first - although I was brought to attention that this guy is known not to be friendly with anyone, let alone small organic growers. Your right though, honesty is most likely still the best policy in this case. I haven't made the call yet and if I can't get the information that I'm looking for then I can just keep an eye on his corn for a year or two (since we've been here he's been planting the same kind of dent(ish) corn, probably meant for ethanol).
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Post by petitvilaincanard on Jun 28, 2014 16:57:39 GMT -5
You don't have to be suspicious about the fact that the farmer in question is poisoning your neighbourhood,he don't try to hide his opinions.If you on your side feel you have to hide your opinion yuo put yourself in a subordinate position.there can be reasons for that,fear is one of it In my neighbourhood,a few years ago,some of the local habitants set up a kind of commitée to prevent the placement of a cellphone antenna close to the houses,of course I supported this effort any way I don't like this farmer that refused to place the antenna close to his house,but wanted to make some easy money letting tha antenna install close to our houses on his field.The comittee had good succes,the phonecompany didn't like so much hussle and decided to go elsewhere. Little time after that,my dog disappeared and another habitant found his dog dead with a bullet in his body.This farmer and his brother is just scrap but if he killed the dogs it was not because we had some opinion or so,but just because he couldn't make some easy money.
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Post by oxbowfarm on Jun 30, 2014 5:47:33 GMT -5
One issue with using sweet corn for feed other than yield is spoilage. I'd say the best way to turn sweet corn into decent feed would be silage. Joseph lives in the high mountain desert. Getting his sweet corn to dry down is easy peasy. I'd expect it to mold like a son of a gun if I tried to dry it on the stalk in my climate. So if you want dry grain I think you are going to have to do some extra work to keep it from molding, unless you live in an arid spot like Joseph.
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Post by blackox on Jul 21, 2014 18:41:30 GMT -5
Thank you for your input, petit, it was very much appreciated.
I live in a humid area - in a marshy valley in Ohio. It's either very wet or very dry, depends on whether or not it's raining (and we get rain often). Looks like I'll be making silage.
I called the farmer that owns the majority of the cornfield around me... turns out that he's been dead for nearly five years (Everybody else seemed to think that he was still alive, news must travel slow here if at all?). It was his son that answered the phone. He apparently owns the place and rents it out to other farmers. He did say that he would call back with their/his/her phone number(s), still waiting on that though.
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