Corn Silage, Managing the Manageable

This paper reviews key factors in corn silage production that affect quality, yield, starch content, and fiber digestibility‒elements that directly influence feed costs and animal performance. Notably, improved management practices have the potential to enhance profits by as much as $30 per ton of silage. In the United States, over six million acres of corn silage are grown annually with an average yield of approximately 20 tons per acre at 30 % dry matter (DM), while premier production regions such as Washington, Idaho, and Oregon routinely achieve statewide yields near 30 tons per acre and even 35–45 tons per acre in optimal conditions. Advances in agronomic practices have also allowed plant populations to increase from around 24,000 plants per acre in the early 1980s to over 40,000 plants per acre today, driving further yield improvements. The research highlights that kernel processing is a critical tool, demonstrated by a study where on-board processing increased 24-hour starch digestibility from 73,4 % to 85,8 %. Additionally, adjusting chop height‒from 7 inches to 20 inches‒improved fiber digestibility by 6,7 % and increased starch concentration by 6 %, although every 4–6 inches of increased chop height was associated with a reduction in yield of roughly 1 ton per acre (at 30 % DM). The paper further discusses the influence of hybrid selection (including the use of brown midrib [BMR] genetics), harvest maturity, and environmental factors on silage composition. It also emphasizes proper harvest and storage management practices, such as maintaining a moisture content of 63 68 % at harvest and achieving a silage density of over 16 lbs/ft³, to minimize dry matter losses during fermentation and feed-out. Key words: corn silage, inoculants, starch digestibility, forage, milk strains, milk acid bacteria, Enterococcus Faecium, Lactobacillus Plantarum, Lactobacillus Buchneri, fiber digestibility, storage management, silage producing