Short silage sorghum

[kcm]

I've got a patch of silage sorghum that is drought stressed and short. I think it is too short to feed through my Field Queen. Also, since the corn made nothing my pit is fuller than I thought it would be, the short sorghum will probably only put a foot or two of new silage on top of it.

Do I chop it, or if the nitrates are OK try to hay it, or maybe just turn the cows in it? I realize nobody knows the right answer, has anyone else ever just turned the cows into silage sorghum?

[ses]

If it's safe I would just turn them on it. Costs a lot of money to chop of swath and bale and it sounds like you already have enough feed stockpiled. But....I'll bet it's not safe if it burnt up. Absolutely have it checked. I could tell you lots of horror stories around here about guys turning cattle out on drought infested crops. One of them personally (14 cows that more or less dropped in their tracks).

[jrtheoriginal]

When in doubt test it! If it is OK just trun those cows into it. I would put up a hot wire and only let them eat it so much at a time.

[kcm]

I chopped it, it tested fine, nutritionally it beat the corn silage this year, and it tonned out better than the corn.

Anyone here know of a good, very tall milo? This coming summer I am planting on 15" rows, alternating forage sorghum and milo.