It’s no secret the 2019 corn silage season was challenging. Many producers saw delayed plantings turn into late harvest, which resulted in tough decisions about the best time to ensile their forages. Understanding the conditions during the growing season can help producers manage expectations for the resulting feed and properly balance rations.
• Late corn planting: Due to the later start, the time of harvest was inevitably one to two months late, which likely meant harvesting immature, possibly frost-damaged or frozen corn.
• Weather conditions during harvest: Producers may be seeing more soil contamination due to excessive precipitation. As a result, we can expect to see high ash values. Soil also harbors undesirable microorganisms, such as clostridia, fungi and enterobacteria, which can negatively impact the fermentation.
• Early-harvested corn: Producers often opted to harvest early to beat the frost and snow. Early harvests, with moisture levels higher than 70%, can lead to increased run-off (seepage) and an extensive, prolonged fermentation. This can result in a high acid load that may depress feed intake.
• Late-harvested corn: If temperatures were low enough to kill the plant, it could have led to dry ensiling and looser compaction. Also, frosted kernels are more susceptible to fungal infestation and can lead to mycotoxin production.
Many of these challenges may have affected fermentation and resulted in spoilage. If you see any signs of spoilage, avoid the temptation to feed the spoiled silage. Feeding even small amounts of spoiled silage can lead to reproduction and respiratory problems, herd health issues, reduced feed intake and decreased production.1
Furthermore, feeding spoiled silage has been shown to damage the rumen mat – where fiber degradation in cattle occurs. When rumen function is impaired, cattle aren’t able to absorb nutrients from any feed sources well. Consider using feed additives to help optimize rumen performance, and especially ones that help maintain lower-gut health. This is particularly important if high levels of molds and mycotoxins are present.
Keeping these factors in mind will allow cattle to achieve the best performance possible according to their genetic potential.
For additional information on enzymes in silage, visit www.qualitysilage.com or follow the Quality Silage Experts on Facebook.
1 Whitlock LA, Wistuba T, Siefers MK, Pope RV, Brent BE, Bolsen KK. Effect of level of surface-spoiled silage on the nutritive value of corn silage-based rations. Cattlemen’s Day 2000. Accessed May 21, 2015. Available at: http://krex.k-state.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/2097/4652/cattle00pg22-24.pdf?sequence=1.
