While many fields experienced heavy rains this year, many areas experienced lower-than-normal moisture conditions, forcing an early corn silage harvest and Increasing the potential for high nitrates.

High nitrates essentially bind with protein in an animal’s hemoglobin, which prevents the blood from carrying oxygen. As a result, cells and body tissue suffocate and die.

Ways to reduce risk when harvesting and feeding low-moisture silage:

• Wait 3 to 5 days after a rain before harvesting drought-stressed corn silage.
• Increase cutting height as most nitrates form in lower portion of the stalk.
• Allow silage to ferment at least 4 weeks as fermentation can reduce nitrate levels by 50 to 60%.
• Always test a few samples of any suspect corn silage before you feed.
• With matters of this sensitivity, I advise dairy producers and cattle feeders to enlist the help of a professional. Always test and consult with a nutritionist.

It can be tricky to get everything to work out just right for an optimal corn silage harvest. The weather, combined with the custom harvester’s schedule and corn silage moisture, are just a few of the details that make harvest a challenge.

Let’s review the basics to help increase your chances of an optimal silage harvest this year:

• Harvest when whole-plant moisture is between 65% and 70%.
• Moisture can drop by as much as .5% – 1%/day.
• To check moisture, replicate in different areas of a field. I always add 1 to 2 points to the moisture check result as there can be a lot of field variability.
• Half milk line is the rule of thumb, but it’s best to test to verify.
• Some growers increase chopper height to increase grain portion. This makes corn silage drier, so they can start earlier. They also do this to increase fiber digestibility. As the height increases, the neutral detergent fiber (NDF) portion is less and digestibility typically improves.
• Whole-plant moisture of 68% to 70% is the best moisture zone for packing silage in a bunk.
• Although it varies by silo type, whole-plant moisture of 65% is preferred to reduce seepage potential when storing silage in an upright silo.
• As a review, corn silage dry matter (DM) is typically 50% grain to 50% stover. The portion of corn silage that has the most impact on whole-plant moisture is the starch accumulation. Starch dries the mix down. As the milk line drops and more starch accumulates, the lower the moisture.
• Moisture changes can certainly vary based on environment. If we get a very sunny, hot, windy, low humidity day in September, whole-plant moisture can easily drop by 1%.

ALTHOUGH WE’RE DEEP INTO THE GROWING SEASON, THERE’S STILL TIME TO MAKE CHANGES THAT LEAD TO IMPROVED FORAGE YIELD AND QUALITY. MY ADVICE IS TO EXPERIMENT, EVEN ON A SMALL SCALE, TO SEE WHAT CAN MOVE THE NEEDLE.

Here are a few ideas for your consideration:

• Continuous tissue testing. A foliar application of deficient nutrients could be a game changer.
• Late-season nitrogen application. Every season is unique, so it’s beneficial to detect levels and then develop an in-season nutrient plan. Because most nitrogen uptake occurs during the reproduction phase, it’s important to ensure corn plants have sufficient levels available.
• Foliar fungicide application. Multi-year research has shown that applying fungicide leads to 3 or more tons of corn silage. This added tonnage can potentially add another $120 value/acre!

Every operation is different, and each operator has access to different equipment. Regardless of the hurdles, try something new. Invest in an experiment. Select s field or two to experiment, and develop a plan to lower risk, improve quality and gain tonnage. Need more ideas? I’d be happy to help! Feel free to contact me at the Latham office.