TIME TO CHOP CORN FOR SILAGE — OR IS IT?
Around this time of year we often mention the importance of proper timing for chopping corn for silage. Farmers have waited over four months since planting the crop, but too many refuse to wait a couple more weeks until the crop reaches at least 32% DM. Harvesting the crop at a range of 32% to 37% whole plant DM is fine in most situations. Any mention in the farm press or other sources of 30% DM as a goal for corn silage should be ignored: The corn plant is adding starch each day as the kernels mature. Almost all dairy farmers now own kernel processors, so they can wait until hybrids with high staygreen ratings (a measure of plant health) reach the desired whole plant dry matter. With some of these hybrids the old “one third milk line” guideline for harvest timing may not be reliable.
This is also a good time to mention the importance of having enough corn silage inventory to allow delaying the feeding of “new crop” corn silage until near the end of the year. Starch digestibility increases with storage time, and the milk-producing capability of corn silage is significantly higher in December than that same crop was in October. A farmer forced to feed this year’s corn silage much before year’s end might look around for standing corn on neighboring farms that may be available for purchase. This won’t help now but it would at this time next year, when there would be enough “old crop” corn silage to feed into December. Harvesting enough corn for 14 or 15 months has to be done only once: After that the farm can return to chopping enough corn for silage for 12 months of feeding. This also has the advantage of some insurance in the event of a disastrous year for corn yields.
— Ev Thomas
