Martin Morgan, Morgan Branch Red Angus
Corn and Grass Field Chopper
Grant Award: $6,000
Martin Morgan purchased a specialized piece of harvesting equipment—a corn and grass field chopper. The chopper cuts and chops green corn or grass into small pieces and deposits the feed into a truck to be transported to the farm to be stockpiled, covered, sealed and left to ferment.
Martin currently feeds mixed rations to his beef steers, which consists of grass hay, spent beer grains from local breweries and apple pulp from local cideries. The wet brewer’s grain and apple pulp are high in carbohydrates and sugars, but lack in critical fat needed for balanced nutrition.
With the addition of corn silage, the fat and protein content of his cattle’s diet will be increased by 20%. The chopper will allow Martin to better utilize the cost of feedstuffs and to minimize feed waste which resulting in a lower cost per head, per day across the board and reduce the time it takes for an animal to attain harvest weight by 1-2 months.
Contact the Local Extension Agent