How to determine the harvest date of corn?

Harvesting corn for silage is one of the most important days of the year for dairy farmers. Corn silage is the primary roughage in cattle feeding.

Corn for silage grows in the field for about 120-150 days, harvesting takes a few days at most, and the harvested forage is fed for a year. Therefore, it’s worth applying yourself and choosing the right harvesting date. Advised by 𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗼𝘀ł𝗮𝘄 𝗞𝗼𝘇ł𝗼𝘄𝘀𝗸𝗶 – our nutrition and prevention spec.

What to look for when setting a harvest date:

• The dry weight of the plant should be 32-35%, this will allow high starch while maintaining digestibility,

• Observing the whole plant, we can see the dried cob sheath and shriveling lower leaves – dry matter in the range of 32-34%,

• Check the kernels by breaking the cob in half, the milk line of the kernel at 2/3 height and the vitreous starch not exceeding half height is usually the beginning of the silage campaign,

• stay calm, in sunny and warm weather dry weight increases 0.5-1% per day,

• harvesting in sunny, rain-free weather will reduce silage contamination with soil,

• avoid harvesting corn for silage during the rainy season or when the corn is wet, as this can hinder the silaging process and silage storage.

Feel free to contact our consultants, we will help you choose the optimal harvesting date.