The cranes and geese won't eat the maize while the stalks are still standing. The geese can't reach the ears and the cranes don't like to be in tall grass where they can't see predators approaching. Crows will eat the unharvested maize, but can't finish it off. By mowing down a few rows at a time - cut low for geese or somewhat higher for cranes - the refuge managers can steer where the birds will go to forage on a given day. Flooding fields in rotation steers where the birds spend their nights and also gives the soil a rest for a season.
