Com Silage Quality: What Can
You Expect This Year?
UNIVERSITY PARK
(Centre Co.) What will the
quality of this year’s corn
silage crop be?
In recent years, advances
in forage analysis and ration
balancing programs have
generated additional infor
mation as to how forages are
utilized by the cow. The
availability of this informa
tion has generated increased
interest in the correlation be
tween weather patterns and
forage quality.
What will the quality of
this year’s crop be?
Several specialists have of
fered a number of theories
based on their observations
from years with similar
weather patterns with 1996
being the most recent. Corn
silage harvested in that year
did not ferment very rapidly
or efficiently. Many dairy
producers and their nutri
tional advisers complained
that cows did not increase
production until late Decem
ber or January when fed corn
silage produced in 1996.
Examination of informa
tion provided by Dr. Greg
Roth, corn specialist with
Penn State University, and
Kurt Ruppel, dairy specialist
for Pioneer Hi-Bred Interna
tional, Inc., may provide
some insight as to the quality
of this year’s corn silage.
As most of the Northeast
has received an abundance of
rainfall, corn silage quality
will most likely be less than
optimal. Tall plants can
result in lower grain-to-stalk
ratio, unless the plants have
multiple ears.
Research at the Miner In
stitute in New York has illus
trated that lignin levels in
corn plants increases in wet
weather, thus decreasing
fiber and whole plant digesti
bility.
(Hg)
<m>
GSI
Grain Bins
— 7 Grain Dryers
(gg) Elevators
<Hg)
(HD
<HD
m
dUD
<@)
<Sg>
<Hg>
Augers
from
Westfield @) AFFORDABLE QUALITY
and From
Hutchison SONES grain SYSTEMS
Muncy, PA (570) 584-2282
m
m
m
isl
Data from other institu
tions and from field observa
tions supports the Miner
Institute observations. One
solution may be to chop
silage with the head set
higher than normal. Re
search at Pioneer, Penn State,
and other universities has il
lustrated that chopping
silage higher than usual (12
to 18-inches) decreases NDF
levels and increases whole
plant digestibility. However,
this practice reduces total
yield and actually results in
less milk per acre.
Results of a Penn State
study indicate a one-ton loss
in dry matter yield, but a 1.5-
point decrease in the NDF
content of corn silage with a
12-inch change in cutting
height. Similar results from
Pioneer indicate an increase
of 72 pounds of milk per ton
of silage, but a loss of 258-
pounds of milk per acre. If
forage supplies are abundant
this year, and they should be,
the reduction in yield may be
less of a negative factor.
Before accepting a blanket
recommendation to high
chop corn silage, examine the
whole farm effects of your de
cision. Evaluate the decision
based on total forage supply
and quality. Improving the
quality of corn silage may be
desirable, as much of the hay
crops are already of lower
quality. Improving overall
forage quality is especially
important for high
producing herds.
Be sure to consider the
long-term ramifications on
milk components and milk
pricing. Dr. Satter at the U.S.
Dairy Forage Research
Center in Wisconsin evalu
ated harvest height of “well
matured” corn silage. The
comparison was made be-
<HD
SBf
IK
/•*\
/, \
m
JB£
CGSj) @)
m
m
tween a stubble height of 13-
inches versus 27 inches. The
dry matters were rather high
at 36 and 43 percent, respec
tively. The neutral detergent
fiber on the 27-inch stubble
was 34 percent on a dry
matter basis. The butterfat
averaged 3.39 percent on the
high-chopped corn compared
to 3.74 percent on the 13-inch
stubble.
Another issue that may
present a problem is plant
drydown. Observations of a
number of fields have indi
cated that kernel maturity
may be occurring at a faster
rate than whole plant dry
down.
There is considerable vari
ation in the relationship be
tween whole-plant moisture
and the position of kernel
milkline. Differences in hy
brids, their drydown charac
teristics, and the growing
conditions contribute to this
variation.
Use kernel milkline as an
indicator of when to start
checking whole-plant mois
ture. It is time to measure the
corn’s moisture content when
kernel denting begins and the
milkline becomes visible.
To check moisture, hand
harvest a few dozen-corn
plants within a field. Reduce
the plant particle size, i.e.
bedding chopper, to ade
quately dry the sample using
a Koster tester or a mi
crowave oven. When using
these drying devices, obtain a
stable endpoint weight before
calculating the same dry
matter percent. This will
avoid overestimating the dry
matter content.
Base corn silage harvest on
a whole-plant moisture of 65-
70 percent. This will vary
somewhat, depending on the
storage structure and the
amount of corn silage ensiled.
(jag) (jag)
m
Bucket
Elevators
From
Lampton
Stirring
Machines
and
Grain
Cleaners
from Sukup
and OMC
151
m
m
Com Talk, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 14, 2000—Page
Monitoring whole plant
moisture will be critical to
timing corn silage harvest. If
kernel moisture levels are
lower than normal, it will be
beneficial to harvest the crop
with a machine equipped
with a kernel processor.
If this year’s crop is similar
to the crop in 1996, there are
several other recommenda
tions you should consider.
Treating the silage with a
preservative will help fer
mentation efficiency. The
preservative should contain
both bacteria and enzymes,
as the enzymes will enhance
the fermentation process by
improving the availability of
nutrients needed by the bac
teria.
Be sure to incorporate
sound harvesting and silo fill
ing practices this year to limit
oxygen and enhance silage
fermentation. When filling
trenches, use the progressive
wedge system. Be sure to use
a tractor that is of adequate
size and weight, considering
the rate at which silage is
being delivered to the trench.
Adding sugar to the ration
may pay off. That assumes
that the corn plant does not
contain the usual sugar levels
or the corn is lower in overall
digestibility. Many liquid and
dry sugar products are avail
able that may be cost effec
tive. Forage analysis will be
important for determining
First-Time Five-Acre
(Continued from Page 8)
better in farming, More be
lieves there has to be a
greater usage of the crop,
calling for more ethanol pro
duction and more grain ex
ports.
“My outlook right now is,
if the farmer isn’t holding the
government’s hand, he’ll be
dead. It’s kind of a big pic-
Buffalo Valley Mfg.
Portable Elevators
570-966-3775
Ruggedly built and well balanced for many years of trouble
free service, with a wide variety of sizes and heights.
Dealer inquiries welcome
IBE
(DdDIEU TME ME WO
PENNSYLVANIA MASTER CORN GROWERS ASSOC., INC.
(570) 966-3775
nutrient content. However,
forage analyses on corn silage
grown under wet conditions
are often overvalued. The
silage is not as good as the
forage analysis, making it
difficult to accurately bal
ance rations. Work with a
nutritional consultant to deal
with these potential issues.
Each growing season pre
sents a new set of challenges.
As additional information is
gathered in the future, it may
be possible to accurately pre
dict the quality of forage that
producers must deal with.
Until then we must rely on
the research available and
years of field observations to
adjust our management prac
tices to insure we have top
quality forage to feed our
high producing cows.
Producers have access to
new technologies, kernel pro
cessors and new hybrids, that
can help deal with environ
mental conditions. However,
they do not guarantee a par
ticular outcome on a consist
ent basis. Good basic silage
making practices are still the
key for quality silage produc
tion
ture, at least it is to me,”
More said,
“The Freedom to Farm
Act ran from 1996 to 2002,
and I know they’re trying to
think right now about a new
program,” he said.
More hopes the flexibility
is there so the farmer doesn’t
have his hands tied and is al
lowed freedom to farm.
Iconomical
•r Your
i & Corn
Needs.
>m Floor)
201