 As you travel around Wyoming in the farming areas of the state, primarily in the southeast and central part of the state, you may notice cattle grazing on corn stalks like these behind me. This field has been harvested with a combine for the grain part of the corn, leaving behind what's commonly referred to as corn stalks. Within Wyoming, approximately 90,000 acres of corn are harvested each year, and about half of those acres are harvested for grain, leaving the stock as a residue. One acre of these corn stalks can supply enough food to sustain an average-sized cow for about one and a half months. Grazing corn stalks and other residue crops allow farmers and ranchers to utilize the entire plant and save money on supplemental feeding during the winter. When cattle graze corn stalks, they seek out the highest nutrient value parts of the plant first, typically the kernels or grain. After those are finished, then they come back and eat the leaves and husks, finishing up with the stalks and the cobs, making use of every part of the plant. What parts don't get eaten are trampled back into the soil to provide nutrients to the soil microorganisms for next year's crop. Cattle grazing corn stalks are not only taking advantage of a relatively cheap winter feed, but they're making use of what's left over after a corn harvest and returning valuable organic matter to the soil. From the University of Wyoming Extension, I'm Dallas Mount, Exploring the Nature of Wyoming.