During drought conditions, aside from areas where plants are barren (with no pollination or ear development) and have little green tissue remaining, it is often best to delay corn silage harvest as long as possible to allow for maximum development of the kernels and total dry matter.
Check ear development
Inspect the ears and assess the grain’s status to help determine the optimal harvest timing.
- Fields with plants that have some grain development should be left for as long as possible to allow the grain to further develop.
- If rainfall is received, that grain will continue to fill, increasing dry matter and improving silage quality.
- If pollination was unsuccessful and ears have no kernels, harvest should occur as soon as the plant moisture is appropriate for storage.
The forage quality of drought-stressed corn silage is expected to be variable because of variation in plant height, maturity, and grain fill within a field. Expect greater starch production with increased grain fill.
If there is little to no grain, expect higher levels of crude protein and fiber content, but decreased energy content, compared to corn silage containing grain. It is important to test corn silage for nutrient content, as rations may need to be adjusted compared to corn silage in a more typical year.