You've got cornstalks after harvest and cattle that need feed — do you turn the cows out on the field, or bale the residue and haul it to them? Both turn a free byproduct into cheap winter feed, but they pencil out very differently. Grazing is low-cost and low-labor if you have fence and water; baling captures feed you can haul anywhere but costs equipment, labor, and net wrap, and risks dragging in dirt. Here's how producers price each side — including the going rates for renting stalks — so you can run your own numbers.
Quick answer: Grazing cornstalks is usually the cheaper way to use residue — common rental rates run about $0.30–$1.00 per head per day (toward the high end with fence and water provided, lower without), or roughly $5–$35 per acre, with producers figuring 30–40 head-days per acre. Baling captures feed you can haul to confined cattle but yields only about 2 clean bales per acre behind the combine, costs labor, baler wear, and net wrap, and risks dirt; net-wrapped stalk bales have sold around $30 a bale. Graze if you have fence and water and don't mind moving cattle; bale if you need to feed in a lot or sell the residue. Either way, charge or budget per head per day so the field doesn't become a place to park cows.
The grazing side: what stalks rent for
Grazing rates swing on one thing above all — whether fence and water are provided. The clearest breakdown:
"Water and fence on it? If so could push $.75/hd/day easy. Some ppl are getting $1. No fence or water more like $0.30-0.50/day. I like to figure 30-40 days/ac/hd."
— cornncows, NE Nebraska · AgTalk thread 1084558
In heavy cattle country those per-head rates are real and current:
"Bet is over 3k head of cows from sandhills in a 10 mile radius of me on stalks. What I'm hearing is 85 cents per head per day. Couple pushing a $1 a day."
— ahay68979, Saronville, NE · AgTalk thread 1084558
Some price by the acre instead, especially where the cattle owner brings their own fence:
"$35/acre here and we only provide stalks and water. They put up hot wire fence and take it down."
— bkadds, Dalhart, Texas · AgTalk thread 1084558
And the lower end, for a bare field with no improvements:
"Is there fence and water? If so, $5-10/acre is probably fair... Have him be off in 30 days if possible."
— cowsncorn, NE MO · AgTalk thread 1084558
| Pricing model | Typical range | Depends on |
|---|---|---|
| Per head per day (fence + water) | $0.75 – $1.00 | Improvements provided; cattle density |
| Per head per day (no fence/water) | $0.30 – $0.50 | Owner supplies fence/water |
| Per acre (stalks + water only) | ~$35 | Owner builds/removes fence |
| Per acre (bare field) | $5 – $10 | No improvements; short window |
| Stocking guideline | 30 – 40 head-days/acre | Down corn, field size, weather |
Price per head per day — so it doesn't become a parking lot
The most-repeated piece of advice from landowners isn't about the rate — it's about the structure. Charge per head per day, set an end date, and you protect the field from being abused:
"So much per head per day keeps it from being a place to park cows."
— chickenqueen, Mid MO · AgTalk thread 1084558
Without parameters, a flat or open-ended deal invites trouble — mud, compaction, and a tenant who treats your stalks as a free dry-lot:
"Mud, compaction damage. Or cattle owner wants a place to park them and feed hay or TMR ration if you don't set parameters."
— Rowcropcattleman, Missouri · AgTalk thread 1084558
A common natural end-point: cattle come off once they stop passing corn (Chet Z, Nance County, NE) — though in the north many just graze "until it snows" (mafrif, NC Iowa). For the how-to of feeding bales in the field instead, see our bale grazing guide.
The baling side: more control, more cost
Baling flips the trade-off. You give up the near-zero cost of grazing, but you get feed you can haul to confined cattle, sell, or stockpile — and you're not turning cows out on someone's wet field. The catches are yield, quality, and cost.
Yield is modest. Baling clean residue behind the combine produces only about 2 bales per acre (roughly three times more if you rake the whole field, but with more dirt and baler wear). Value is real but not huge — net-wrapped stalk bales have changed hands around $30:
"Nice dry 5x6 net wrapped are 30-32 a bale 'here.'"
— Hick, Western Iowa · AgTalk thread 1084192
Against that ~$60/acre of bale value you have to set baler wear, labor, fuel, and net wrap — plus the feed-quality hit if dirt gets raked in. The cleanest, most palatable stalk bales come from baling behind the combine; the full method is in how to make clean cornstalk bales, and cornstalks need an extra wrap of net because they're abrasive (net wrap for cornstalk bales).
So which pays?
| Factor | Graze | Bale |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Lowest (rate or rent) | Labor, wear, fuel, net wrap |
| Labor / equipment | Fence + water; move cattle | Rake/bale/haul/stack |
| Where cattle are | On the field | Feed anywhere; confined OK |
| Feed captured | Only what's grazed in place | Haulable, sellable, stockpilable |
| Quality risk | Weather/trampling | Dirt if raked; dust |
| Field impact | Mud/compaction if mismanaged | Less direct field abuse |
The simple rule: graze if you have fence and water and can move cattle — it's the cheapest residue feed there is. Bale if you need to feed in a lot, sell the residue, or can't turn cattle out on the ground. Many operations do both: graze what they can reach with fence and water, and bale the rest for confined feeding or sale.
Where XES fits
If baling is your play, net wrap is a direct line item — and stalks are the crop that punishes weak net. Cornstalk bales are abrasive and roll hard off the chamber, so producers add a wrap, and that wrap has to hold or you lose the bale. XES Extreme net wrap is DLG-tested (Report #7439) for strength and full-width coverage, and UV-rated 12 months (tested to ISO 4892-2) for bales stored outside through winter. Pencil your cost per bale on the cost-per-bale calculator, or compare sizes on the net wrap product page.
The bottom line
Both grazing and baling turn cornstalks into cheap winter feed, but grazing wins on cost when you have fence and water — figure $0.30–$1.00 per head per day (or ~$5–$35/acre) and 30–40 head-days per acre, and always price per head per day with an end date so the field doesn't become a parking lot. Baling costs more in labor, wear, and net wrap and yields only about 2 clean bales per acre worth around $30 each, but it captures feed you can haul, sell, or stockpile. Match the method to whether you can put cattle on the ground — and run the numbers both ways before you decide.
Frequently asked questions
What is a fair price to graze cornstalks?
Commonly $0.75 to $1.00 per head per day when fence and water are provided, and $0.30 to $0.50 per head per day when the cattle owner supplies them. By the acre, rates run from about $5–$10 for a bare field up to around $35 where stalks and water are provided and the owner builds the fence. Producers figure roughly 30–40 head-days per acre.
Should I charge per head per day or per acre for stalks?
Per head per day is the producer favorite because it keeps the field from becoming a place to park cows — it ties the cost to actual use and pairs naturally with an end date. Per-acre pricing is simpler and common where the cattle owner brings and removes their own fence. Either way, set parameters to avoid mud and compaction damage.
How many bales per acre do you get baling cornstalks?
About 2 clean bales per acre baling behind the combine, or roughly three times more if you rake the whole field first — but raking drags in dirt and wears the baler harder. Behind-combine bales are cleaner, less dusty, and more palatable to cattle.
What are cornstalk bales worth?
Net-wrapped stalk bales have sold around $30 a bale in cattle country, though prices vary by region, year, and quality. Against that value, baling costs include labor, fuel, baler wear, and net wrap, plus the feed-quality risk if dirt is raked in.
Is it cheaper to graze or bale cornstalks?
Grazing is usually cheaper if you have fence and water and can move cattle, since it avoids the labor, equipment wear, and net wrap of baling. Baling makes sense when you need to feed cattle in a lot, want to sell or stockpile the residue, or can't turn cattle out on the field. Many operations do both.
This guide is maintained by the XES Netting team — a bale net-wrap manufacturer. Every farmer quote in this post is verbatim with a thread link, so you can read the originals. Rates and bale values are producer-reported and vary by region and year — confirm local rates before setting a deal.
Related guides
Featured photo: Cattle in the Corn by Tony Atkin, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
