Instructions
Cut a cross-section of a few corn cob samples prior to harvesting. Locate the milk line -- the demarcation between the milky liquid endosperm and the starchy solid endosperm -- within the exposed kernels. If the milk line is between one half to two thirds of the way from the top of the kernel to the bottom, the moisture content is between 60 to 70 percent. You are safe to harvest and chop.
Supplement the silage with dry matter additives if you are compelled to harvest at higher moisture levels. Cereal grains, legumes and grasses are all acceptable dry matter in this instance. Add between 150 to 200 pounds of dry matter for each ton of silage.
Transfer the corn silage into the silos as quickly as possible after chopping, packing it densely. Prolonged exposure to air will extend the respiration of the plant cells, depleting precious sugars and carbohydrates needed for fermentation. The tempo of drying must be controlled.
Monitor the silage daily. When in silos, corn cells will initially release heat, carbon dioxide and water, expelling any remaining air in the silo, and raising the temperature of the silage. Fermentation continues with the production of acetic and lactic acids. Check the shade of the forage: it should have a hue between greenish-yellow and a very light brown. This indicates that it has heated and cooled properly.
Keep the forage packed and sealed after fermentation has completed, usually about three weeks after it was put in the silo. Use only the amount needed for feeding, as the composition of the corn silage begins to change when exposed to air.
How to Dry Corn Silage
Ruminant livestock such as cows take well to forage in the form of corn silage. Consisting of the entire corn plant chopped into pieces, silage is optimally high in moisture content when harvested. However, the plants have already begun to dry down at this stage. After it is chopped, corn silage is stored in bunkers or upright silos where it undergoes fermentation, further draining moisture from the forage. Drying silage, therefore, consists of managing the fermentation. This process can be impeded if the moisture level is too high. In this event, the drying down of the silage may require assistance.