What Abut Silage Management Practices?
Silage management practices are critical to harvesting and storing immature corn. Dry matter content should be 30% or greater. Sharp knives will give a clean cut rather than tearing or shredding the plant. Packing, cover5ing, and particle size guidelines used in harvesting “normal” corn silage need to be followed. How Will Fermentation be Altered? The immature corn plant will contain a high level of sugars to support fermentation. If a low level of lactic acid bacteria is present, a high acetic acid and low lactic acid silage may be produced. An extended fermentation due to the low dry matter content will also result in higher levels of soluble protein, ammonia and other nonprotein nitrogen compounds. A research proven inoculant should be used to improve fermentation efficiency and shift the fermentation towards lactic acid production. For any silage additive used, ask the company for data regarding application rates and efficacy for use with wet, immature forages. Table 2.
