Tips for Baling Cornstalks

Using a specific machine for cornstalks makes the process easier

Jodi Henke was the writer and host of the Successful Farming/Living the Country Life National Radio programs and producer of the Successful Farming podcasts. Occasionally she writes an article and produces photography for Successful Farming magazine.

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After the fall's corn harvest, the leftover stalks, leaves, husks, and cobs can be baled together. Jessica Reis was a marketing manager for Vermeer. She said it's possible to bale corn stover with a hay baler, but there are balers specifically for corn.

There are balers specifically for corn. "The big thing is beefier, heavier-duty components to handle the dirt and dust contamination," Reis said. "I don't know if you've ever been in a cornstalk field when you're combining, but most people in the ag world have and it's a very dirty, contaminated environment, and so the components that are in that baler have to be significant heavier to be able to handle that environment."

A stalk chopper or rotary swather will cut the stalks, leaves, and other corn debris. A conditioner will help dry them down properly before baling.

Corn stover can be wrapped with twine or net wrap. On a traditional hay baler, the finished bales are basically kicked out. But Reis said on the cornstalk baler, there's a cradle that will rotate each bale 90-degrees so when you pick it off the field, you won't bounce over the other stalks.

"You drive in-between the rows with your tractor and bale mover, or whatever pickup equipment that you have, so you're not getting the wear and tear on your equipment from going over the rows," Reis said. "You can go significantly faster through the field than you could if you didn't have that application, and then there's also a lot less wear and tear on the bales when you move them."