This series has addressed the influence of dry matter (DM), both whole plant and plant fraction, on corn silage processing score as well as key quality metrics, namely starch content from the recent Corn Silage Processing Score (CSPS project). There is also an opportunity in the data to explore the way in which the corn plant dries down, how that impacts harvest timing decisions, and the influence on forage quality.

Whole plant DM has long been considered the best option for timing silage harvest. A whole plant DM of 35 percent is most often cited as an optimum target while a range of 32 percent to 38 percentwhole plant DM is often considered an acceptable range (Table 1). The benefits of harvesting in this range are related to both optimizing crop performance and achieving proper fermentation.