inefficient harvest...inefficient gleaning

i went out to get a new rain gauge today and my route took me by the field behind the big box stores...we have already covered the inefficient manner in which the combine harvested this field...no real need to indulge in that again...however there hasn't been anything like a snow cover on this field in going on three weeks...the precipitation of late has fallen as rain ( hence the new gauge ) or ice, not snow...so the leavings from the harvest are fully exposed and it did not take much walking in the field to find cobs with multiple kernels...some very nearly complete...it is obvious that there has been some gleaning going on by on variety of critter or another but finding this much grain in the middle of january has me wondering just how much of a nutritional void this stuff is...it is apparently high energy ( sugars ) and low protein and it is recommended that it be used as a "finishing diet" ( before slaughter to add weight...it also makes cattle acidotic...fed as a single diet long enough it would kill them )so...lots of starches and sugars ( high fructose corn syrup anyone? ) and little else...perhaps the clean up crew has more sense than to eat it.