A blog reader sent me an email asking "A neighbor wants to bale our corn stalks this spring. What is the value of the corn stalks?"

Snow-covered stalks deteriorate over winter.

This is a good question and I am also thinking about baling off 40 acres of stalks this spring if field conditions are right and I can get it done.

In northeast Nebraska cornstalks were bringing $50 a ton last fall because demand was down due to light cattle numbers on feed and cow numbers on grass. CRP hay was bringing $55 and I had some excellent millet hay that brought $60 and alfalfa, the queen of forages was only bringing $80.

So while baled cornstalk, grass, millet and alfalfa maintain their value will cornstalks lying in the field do the same?

Come spring after the snow melts and it dries up, you will still get a lot of stalk and tassel material but some of the leaf and husk material will be partially degraded, depending on the field and location. So I suspect that $50 will be top dollar for the material if it is dry and good condition.

But I wouldn't take much less than that because remember it cost at least $15 to make and handle a bale and for every ton you take off you are removing about $18 to $22 of potential nutrients including N, P and K. So at $40 a ton, it could be a wash while at $50 a ton you will make a small profit.

However quality will be lower than if harvested in the fall. But if all the cattle feeder wants is cheap fiber for scratch factor, even 4 or 5 month old cornstalks may be good enough for that. But what will happen to stalk quality and stalk yield after sitting on the ground and under snow all winter?

Bruce Anderson, forage extension specialist at the University of Nebraska says removing stalks is the spring is a bad idea. "I think it's a terrible idea to rake and bale stalks in spring. They are nearly worthless nutritionally and could present health problems for the animals with all the soil and mold that will be included. Running over wet fields also will increase compaction and wheel tracks may dry more slowly, delaying spring field work for this year's crop. Hay may seem expensive but it probably is much better than the stalk alternative."

Dr. Anderson makes some good points but I might bale of some stalks anyhow and measure the quality of the forage to confirm it myself. But soil conditions have to be right. And whilesome of the bales will go for forage others will go for composting so the quality is less important.