Monitoring Corn Silage for Dry Down

 

Several estimation tools exist for monitoring Corn Silage Dry Down. Penn State Extension educators across the state will be putting some of these estimations to the test. On Farm samples will be taken for early and late planted corn silage of the same variety. Educators will use FarmLogs to track growing degree day (GDD) accumulation after silking and compare it to field level dry down rates.

 

Cornell research has shown that tracking the growing degree days after silking is a better monitoring technique for silage moisture than relying on the old adage of 45 days after silking. Depending on the climatic conditions in the late part of the growing season, silage harvest may occur within 35 days in a hot, droughty year. However, their research found that tracking accumulated GDD after silking resulted in a more consistent prediction of the date at which the plants reached a 70% moisture content. Cornell researchers recommend monitoring plant moisture at 750 GDD after silking with harvest occurring approximately 800 GDD after silking. Once you know the silking date, you can estimate the sampling and harvest dates using the Cornell GDD calculator.

 

To get an accurate picture of what is happening in the field, dry downs will begin early in the season. The chart illustrates the first dry down testing and growing degree days.