Corn Residue Grazing and Baling Effects On Soil Compaction.

Corn residue grazing by cattle is a common practice in many corn production areas as the residue is an abundant and desirable feed resource. Grazing corn residue with beef cows results in good cow performance and is an inexpensive winter feed. Baling corn stalks is also common as a versatile feed that can work well in many situations, especially when combined with ethanol co-products.  These practices have increased recently due to drought conditions and subsequent shortages in cattle feed sources.  There are often questions associated with this practice related to soil compaction.  This study was initiated to determine the effects of cattle grazing, and corn residue baling through mechanical removal on soil compaction over a three year period in West-Central Nebraska.  Soil compaction measurements were collected in the spring (after grazing and baling) for three years across four treatments (light grazing, heavy grazing, baling, and no removal).  Results show that there are significant effects of grazing and baling on soil compaction.  However, the effects are not constant from year to year across treatment.  Additionally, while there are compaction effects related to residue removal method, these effects have not had a negative impact on corn production during the three years of this study.