sweet corn for animal food

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I planted a bunch of sweet corn this year and everything went well for quite a while. Then these reddish rust colored spots started appearing on the leaves of the plants and now the plants are dead or dying.

I suspect the disease is some kind of blight. We weren't able to harvest any corn but I'm wondering if I stored the stalks with ears and all like they used to, as shocks, in the garden would it be ok to feed the goats etc?

Thanks

-- john leake (natlivent@pcpros.net), September 02, 2000

Answers

first do the ears have grain on them? you might be able to at least use the stocks and leaves as bedding. i know my animals really like it when i have corn on the cob. my goat gets the husks and the pigs get the left over cob after i have eaten the corn off of it. they both seem to really like it and i like to feed it mostly as a treat. am not sure if they would eat the dry husks or not and what the feed value would be but i am hoping more knowlegable people than me will also post. gail

-- gail missouri ozarks (gef123@hotmail.com), September 03, 2000.

Take some leaves into your local ag agent and ask them to have the state ag college identify the problem. Blights are normally worse following mild winters and we have had two in a row.

-- Ken S. in TN (scharabo@aol.com), September 03, 2000.

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